Teen Titans: the Corruption
by Lord-of-Change
Summary: After destroying her father, Raven thought that her dark future had been avoided. But when an ancient and corrupting power resurfaces, can she hold out against the darkness or will it consume her?
1. Chapter 1: Prologue

Somewhere in the Middle East

5000 b.c.

The sound of battle could be heard for miles in every direction. The clashing of swords, the whistling of arrows and the screaming of men. Although the brave men standing their ground were not strangers to war and bloodshed, even they were terrified to the brink of madness today. For their enemy, which they had fought against for a full century, was neither human nor mortal. What they faced was an unstoppable horde of daemons. With claws, swords, axes and spears they hurled themselves against the rapidly dwindling human host. With inhuman speed and strength they tore the humans to bits, all the while their savage howls and sadistic laughter could be heard all across the battlefield and chilled even the hardest of veterans to the bones. For hours now the battle had raged on and the humans were being slowly torn to pieces while there seemed to be an endless supply of daemons.

Yet the humans refused to retreat. Despite the horrible truth that it was all over for them they still kept fighting. For they knew that should they fail, all of humanity would suffer. And with the thoughts of all their loved ones and all that they cherished in life they fought on, determined to end this war once and for all.

In the midst of the battle, standing like an island in a sea of violence, stood a lone figure. Standing 3 meters tall, it was dressed in a suit of black armor, a helmet and a red mantle. The armor was perfectly shaped to fit together, making it impossible to determine where one piece of the armor ended and where the other began. The front of its helmet was shaped in the form of a leering skull and a pair of horns protruded out from the helmet, but whether they originated from the helmet or from the head inside of it was hard to determine. From the helmet two red glowing eyes stared out into the raging battle. The armored knight stood as still as a statue and practically radiated with malice and corruption, and despite all its fearsome appearances what really drew one's attention was a small object embedded in its chest.

The object seemed to be no wider than a pencil and had apparently been driven right through the armor and into whatever lied entombed in it. It seemed to be a small, black crystal and despite its small size it still was the most terrifying aspects of the black knight. It was even blacker than the armor and like a small black hole it seemed to suck all brightness and light from its surroundings, creating a bleak and almost lifeless aura which was more unnerving than the metal monstrosity it pierced. Just staring at it was enough to see that it was pure evil yet at the same time there was something mesmerizing about it that compelled anyone looking at it to just keep staring at it, dreaming about what unimaginable power they could wield if they only possessed that crystal. The ground around the knight was already covered with bodies of men who had fallen to the crystal's corrupting influence and madly challenged the knight head on.

…..

The massive knight didn't even pay any attention to his surroundings; it just kept staring into the horizon. Seeing that the battle was won, the humans were just too stubborn to see it themselves, the knight started to make plans for the future. With the last resistance shattered here he would have complete control of the Middle East and from here his armies would spread across the entire world. He would conquer all civilizations and bring his rule to every corner of the world, he would march from one end of the world to the other. With his power he would unify humanity under his iron rule and if anyone dared to stop him they would be destroyed. It would be so magnificent, the knight thought, and indulged himself with a smile.

Suddenly the knight's dreams of conquest were interrupted when he felt a presence approaching. The knight could easily feel that it wasn't one of his daemonic minions but a human, but there was something wrong with the feeling. The knight had grown accustomed to humans approaching him with fear and uncertainty, often losing their grip on sanity in his mere presence. But this human approached him confidently and fearlessly, like a lion that has finally caught up with a prey it has hunted for days. Sensing that this human could be more troublesome than the ones he had already slain, the knight finally turned to face this new contester. The human wore a pair of sandals and a kilt. He seemed to have worn some kind of light armor but it had apparently been ripped off during the battle and in his right hand he held a golden sword. He was very muscular, almost looked like he could wrestle an oxen to the ground. He had tanned skin and raven black hair, with a hint of grey to it. But his most striking feature was his deep blue eyes that almost shone with righteousness and courage. The knight was surprised that not only dared the human to face him, he also stared right into the knights eyes instead of staring at the crystal, which no one had ever done. This one is strong, was the only thing the knight could think about.

…..

The man stood proudly in front of the accursed knight. _This is it_, he thought. For decades he had hunted the knight, hell bent on avenging all those lives that had been claimed by him. And now, after twenty years, the end of his quest was within sight. But as he faced his lifelong nemesis the man felt no fear, no regret, just a calmness he had not felt for over twenty years, the sort of calmness a man feels when his destiny has been fulfilled.

"_Who are you_?" the knight asked. His voice was deep and metallic and despite that he stood in front of the man, it was impossible for him to discern where the voice came from because when the knight spoke his voice was everywhere.

"I'm Ankhat and I'm your death, vile creature of evil!" Ankhat spat back at the knight. Although the knight wore a helmet, Ankhat could swear that the knight was smiling at him.

"_My death? You think that you can actually defeat me_?" The knight's voice sounded as close to amused as it could get. This only served to anger Ankhat, since it was clear that the knight was mocking him. But he controlled his emotions and fought the urge to charge the knight head on, knowing full well what outcome such an action would yield. For several minutes the two combatants just stood there, observing one another. Finally the knight, apparently grown bored of just watching Ankhat, unleashed a barrage of black fireballs from his hands. Ankhat immediately threw himself to the left, narrowly avoiding the magic missiles. He landed on his shoulder, quickly rolled so his feet were on the ground and launched himself against the knight. Ankhat raised his sword for a strike but the knight didn't make any attempt to avoid the blow, instead he just raised his hand like he would deflect the blow with it. Ankhat swung his sword, made contact with the knight's hand and severed it.

…..

The knight was shocked to his very core. No weapon had ever managed to penetrate his armor. His armor was made of the hardest kind of iron and imbued with dark magic to make it impervious to any kind of harm, yet that sword had sliced right through it as if it was made of sand. And when the knight inspected that weapon closer he found the reason. On the outside it looked like a normal sword but when he tested its magical capabilities the massive amount of energy he detected in it was staggering, what was more disturbing however was that he could clearly sense that it had been forged specifically to kill him. Now realizing that the man in front of him was both willing and more than able to kill him, the knight felt for the first time in over a hundred years an emotion he had practically forgotten, he felt fear.

…..

Ankhat could clearly see that the knight was shaken by his wound. _Well he should be_, thought Ankhat, the armored creature hadn't been wounded for over a century. Taking advantage of his opponent's distraction Ankhat lunged for him again. The knight, now realizing that he was not as invulnerable as he thought, quickly retreated and tried to put some distance between himself and Ankhat. But Ankhat was not about to let his prey get away and pushed on. Ankhat swiftly advanced against the knight who tried to stop him by summoning a hail of burning daggers out of thin air and hurl them in his path. They were however poorly aimed and Ankhat was easily able to dodge or deflect them all and then charged right up to the knight and made ready for another swing with his sword. But just as Ankhat was about to deliver the stroke he felt a burning pain in his right leg, like someone had poured boiling oil on it, and collapsed. At first he just laid there, writhing in pain, until he finally looked down and he was surprised to see that the knights severed hand had managed to grab onto his leg. It was now glowing bright red and Ankhat could smell burned meat. Ankhat tried to shake it off but it held on, all the while it kept burning Ankhat's leg. The burning feeling was now creeping up his leg and into the rest of his body, and the pain was unbearable. Ankhat just lied there and writhed in agony until he felt a shadow pass over him. Through tearful eyes he saw the knight staring down on him, and once again Ankhat could feel that the knight was smiling at him.

"_Do you feel that burning pain? How it seems to engulf your entire body?_" The knight asked.

"_That is the feeling of your death. As we speak my magic is being poured into your body and it is burning you from the inside out, a slow and painful death_" The knight then bent down and grabbed Ankhat by the throat with his remaining hand and lifted him up in the air, holding him only inches from his face.

"_This world is mine, every last creature on it will bow before me, and you have lost_" The knight hissed and to emphasize what he just said he tightened his grip around Ankhat's throat. Ankhat's vision started to blur and he felt that he was starting to slip into unconsciousness. _So this is how it ends_, he thought, _my quest failed just when victory was within grasp_. Seeming to have been awakened from a deep slumber by his own thoughts, Ankhat suddenly felt hate and determination flooding his entire body. _No_, he thought, _this cannot be the end, I will not allow that_. Just then he noticed that the knight held Ankhat close enough that he could reach out and grab the crystal embedded in his chest. Realizing that he only had one chance at this, he summoned what strength he had left and stared defiantly into the knight's eyes.

"As long as I breathe, you will not have this world!" Ankhat roared, and then grabbed hold of the crystal and pulled with all his might. The knight then realized what Ankhat was doing and in his panic threw Ankhat away, but he refused to let go and with the knight's added strength the crystal was torn from his body. When the crystal was torn away, the knight let out an anguished roar with the strength of a thunderstorm. When the knight ended his roar the entire battlefield fell completely silent and nobody moved, as if time itself had stopped. Then the silence was broken by a cracking sound from the knight's armor and soon holes and cracks started to appear in the armor from which dark energy started leaking out. First slowly and then as more cracks appeared in his armor the energy started flooding out at an increasing rate, until the knight stood there like a fountain of dark energy. And then the leaked out energy exploded like a black wave and engulfed the entire battlefield, subsiding into the ground and with it the daemonic host also disappeared, banished back to the dark pit that had spawned them. The knight stood completely still for a while and then with an almighty crash he collapsed to the ground, robbed of all the energy that had sustained him for all this time. Ankhat just lay where he had landed, trying desperately to catch his breath. The hand had now let go of his leg and with it the pain had disappeared, apart from the stinging feeling where it had burned his leg. Finally he forced himself into an upright position and then watched where the knight lay. Although the knight did not move, Ankhat could clearly see that his eyes were still burning with life.

"It is over now, your army has been defeated and your power is broken. I have won" Ankhat said calmly to the knight, as if he was just talking about the weather. The knight then started to make some strange rasping sounds. At first Ankhat thought that the knight was having trouble to breathe but then he realized that the knight was actually laughing.

"_Won? You think this is all over with my death? You have merely prolonged the inevitable_" The knight said between fits of laughs.

"_My time in this world may be at an end but I promise you this, this is but the beginning of it! The crystal in your hands is more than just a trinket or a power source, it is a sentient being whose power will shape this world. One day the crystal will find its way into the hands of someone else with the will and power to wield it and for good or bad, the world as we know it will then end_" And with those words, the life in the knight's eyes faded and he passed into whatever hell that was reserved for him. Ankhat just sat there for a long time, deep in thought about the knight's prophecy. For nearly an hour, the only sound being heard was the howling of the wind and the screeches of the carrion birds feasting upon Ankhat's army. Finally he stood up and started walking towards his sword. As he passed the knight's corpse he gave his reply to the dead thing.

"If that is true, then I will just have to make sure that no one ever finds it again" Then he bent down and retrieved his sword. He placed the crystal on the ground and raised his sword, ready to destroy the thing responsible for all of this. But as he was about to deliver the stroke, he hesitated. As he looked closer at the crystal he saw the power it had, and started imagining what he could do with such a power. Dreams of conquest and glory uninvitedly entered his mind and without even noticing it himself, he suddenly dropped his sword and picked up the crystal again. Looking upon it closer he started imagining about all the wonderful things he could do with it. He could rebuild all that had been destroyed, unite humanity under his rule and bring order to this world. But it is evil, was a thought that entered his mind, but he quickly dismissed it.

"It was not the crystal that was evil, it was the knight" He said to no one in particular. And with that statement, he walked away with the crystal in his hands.


	2. Chapter 2: A normal day, or is it?

Jump City

Present day

The sun shone brightly and its rays of light were reflected in the skyscrapers that stretched up from the city towards the sky. Below them hundreds of cars navigated their way around these towering buildings along the roads, each car driving towards their own destination. Thousands of people filled the sidewalks and like a waterstream flooded in random directions and among the crowd some moved with more urgency, either being late for something or just being in a general hurry. Traffic signals directed the swarms of cars and people while police cars and patrolmen moved with them, maintaining order and ensuring all was safe. The noise from a road building project could be heard above the many other noises in the city. All in all, today seemed to be a normal day.

However, that thought was soon shattered by the sound of dozens of police sirens all heading in the same direction followed by a massive crash, almost like someone had dropped a tank from one of the skyscrapers. The place where all the commotion was coming from was the pizza store and the source of the trouble was the massive concrete behemoth Cinderblock doing what he did best, demolishing everything in his path. Upon inspecting the area it could be quickly determined that the crash heard earlier was the result of Cinderblock crushing a police car underneath the armored prison transport he had been transported in, and miraculously escaped from, and a bus. Already several policemen were on sight trying desperately to contain Cinderblock, but the best they could do was huddle behind their riot shields and cars praying that Cinderblock would just ignore them. But that would not be the case as with a bestial roar Cinderblock smashed the ground with his fists and the massive shockwave that followed threw debris and stunned policemen in every direction. One of the policemen had landed dangerously close to Cinderblock and he now turned his entire attention towards that unfortunate one. Cinderblock quickly closed the gap with his large legs and then stood there regarding the policeman for a few seconds as if he was some kind of strange puzzle needed to be solved, not that Cinderblock ever would have cared or could solve one. The policeman was still stunned and very dizzy after Cinderblock's last attack so he did not even notice that Cinderblock had raised his left foot and making ready to squash him like a bug.

Just as Cinderblock was about to crush the policeman a small disk flew right into his face and exploded in a white flash, temporarily blinding him. Cinderblock staggered back in confusion but before he could recover he was hit square in the chest by a sonic blast and a barrage of green bolts which knocked him off his feet. Cinderblock quickly recovered and rose to his feet, only to be squashed between a bus enveloped in some kind of dark energy and a green elephant. However, being made of concrete had its advantages in the form that Cinderblock could easily shrug off all the attacks done to him. Quickly recovering from the onslaught against him Cinderblock started angrily searching for the enemy, he did not have to look far.

"Honestly Cinderblock, of all the times and places you could have chosen to escape this was probably the worst choice you could make", said a voice behind Cinderblock who immediately turned around to face Robin the Boy Wonder himself. Flanked on Robin's left side stood the half man half machine Cyborg and the hooded Raven and on his right side stood the red haired Starfire and the green skinned Beast boy. All of the Teen Titans were ready for battle.

"Yeah man and I do hope you can pay for the pizza we'd just ordered that was squashed underneath a car!" said Cyborg quite angrily as he transformed his left arm into a sonic cannon.

"We'll give you one chance to surrender and come peacefully" said Robin in his usual authoric voice, although his tone suggested that he already suspected that Cinderblock would not take the offer. Cinderblock's way of answering was with another roar and by throwing the bus that Raven had tried to squash him with against the Titans. The Titans quickly dispersed out of the projectile's path and Robin charged strait towards Cinderblock, throwing a trio of his birdarang's which just bounced harmlessly off Cinderblock's arm. Cinderblock then swung his arm in a wide arc to try to hit Robin, who manage to avoid the blow but was knocked back by the wind force following Cinderblock's swing. Taking advantage of Cinderblock's clumsy swing Cyborg charged in and landed a punch strait on Cinderblock's right knee which forced him down on both of his knees.

"Boooyah!" Cyborg burst out before he was hit by a backhanded slap from Cinderblock and knocked into a nearby shop. Starfire then saw her opening and flew with all her might into Cinderblock's ribs, or at least where the ribs are supposed to be, and drove him into a building. Starfire then tried to retreat as she had lost sight of Cinderblock in the dust and smoke of the smashed building but before she got far away a concrete hand reached out and grabbed her by her legs and smashed her hard into the ground. Staggering out of the rubble, Cinderblock scanned his surroundings in search of more enemies only to end up staring straight into the face of Beast boy who had morphed into a T-Rex. Beast boy took Cinderblock's head in his mouth and tossed him around like a ragdoll before throwing him down the road, and then Beast boy morphed into a stegosaurus and charged towards him. Cinderblock had now gotten back upon his feet and this time was ready for Beast boy. As soon as Beast boy got close enough, Cinderblock grabbed him by the horns and threw him right up into the air and when he came down again Cinderblock delivered a massive punch into Beast boy's stomach. Beast boy collapsed to the ground and morphed back into his normal self while lying there writhing in pain as Cinderblock made ready for another punch. But he was stopped when a hail of debris enveloped in dark energy flew strait into him, forcing him back and suddenly Raven materialized in front of him.

"You'll wish you hadn't done that" she said in her usual cold and neutral voice. Then she flew back and summoned her magical powers while chanting an incantation.

"Azarath Metrion Zinthos!" Dark energy gathered in her hands and when she stretched them towards Cinderblock the energy took the shape of a pair of massive hands that flew into Cinderblock, knocking him off his feet and hurling him straight into another building that collapsed down on him. Raven then levitated down to Beast boy, who by now had managed to get back upon his feet.

"Did you really think that you could pull the same move on him again without him being ready for it?" Raven asked Beastboy.

"Hey, the guy has bricks for brain, anyone could outthink him!" Beast boy answered, trying to explain his mistake.

"Apparently anyone except you" Raven retorted, never once changing her cold tone. Beast boy just stood there glaring at her but she paid no mind to it. Soon the rest of the Titans joined them, all of them covered in dirt and bruises but otherwise unharmed.

"We are victorious now?" asked Starfire with her sweet tone.

"Yeah, the dude's totally toast!" Beast boy triumphantly announced, as if he had been the one to take him down. Just then the rubble of the building exploded and Cinderblock charged out, roaring with all his might.

"You just had to say it!" Cyborg said to Beast boy with an accusing tone.

"Titans go!" Yelled Robin and then the Titans charged Cinderblock.

…..

Robin stood in the middle of the road and observed all the activity around him. The fight against Cinderblock had taken quite some time but they had eventually taken him down, he was now being loaded onto another prison transport right next to where Robin stood. Already the area was swarming with news reporters, clean up squads, policemen and normal civilians who just wanted to see what had happened. Robin could see most of the other Titans; Beast boy was trying to parade himself in front of some girls, Cyborg was helping to move some of the heavier junk out of the way and Starfire also lended a hand to some of the work. Robin could however not see where Raven was, but that question was answered when he heard her voice right behind him.

"What do you make out of this?" She asked him as she walked up to stand next to him. Raven had her hood down and her shoulder length hair was swaying slightly in the breeze while her violet blue eyes were fixed on Robin.

"What do you mean?" he turned to Raven.

"You know what I mean, this is the third escape only this week but this time it wasn't some group of regular criminals who got a lucky shot but one of the worst" Raven answered Robin. Both of them stood there watching each other for a few seconds before Robin sighed and looked at the masses of people gathered around the area.

"I don't know yet but what concerns me most is how Cinderblock even managed to escape. I have spoken to the prison wardens and they assured me that they had taken every precaution they could think of to contain Cinderblock" Robin said. His voice seemed to get a little agitated as he tried to figure out what could have happened.

"Maybe Cinderblock figured out how to bypass them" Raven said, although judging by the uncertainty in her voice it was clear she did not even believe in her own theory.

"Cinderblock has the IQ of a brick stone, he can't even figure out how to put a puzzle together let alone how to escape from an armored transport built specifically to hold him" Robin said as confidently as if he had just said that the sun will set tonight. Robin did not say how he suspected that Cinderblock escaped but he did not have to, Raven understood what his statement pointed at and she shared the same suspicion; someone had helped Cinderblock to escape. But their thoughts were soon interrupted by the rest of the Titans, particularly Beast boy.

"Helloooo, can we go home now. I'm starving cuz we never got that pizza!" he burst out as soon as he got within earshot.

"Indeed, now that we have kicked the butt we may be able to go home now?" Starfire added.

"Alright, let's go home and eat something" Robin said cheerfully, all thoughts about Cinderblock's escape forgotten as the Titans headed back home. Another villain had been brought down and the people were safe and happy.

…..

But as the Titans left there was one person in the crowd of people who did not share their optimism. The man was dressed in a white suit, wore sunglasses and carried a briefcase in his left hand and when the Titans were lost in sight he reached into one of his pockets with his right hand and picked up a cellphone. Quickly dialing a number, he stood there for a while waiting for someone to answer. After some time his call was answered and he then discretely removed himself from the crowd and moved into an alley.

"Boss, this is William. There's been some complications" he said with a moderate voice. He then stood silent for a few seconds, apparently listening to his boss' reply. Finally he continued to talk.

"No, I managed to free Cinderblock without alerting anyone at all, but the damn brickhead would not listen to me and went on a rampage. That of course attracted the Titans attention and he is now back into custody" he listened to the reply from the other end before he spoke again.

"Yes, I managed to acquire the necessary information for the operation and also gathered a group of criminals to complete it. Am I to proceed with the operation and retrieve the object?" then the one in the other end spoke and soon William had a shocked expression on his face.

"Done? What do you mean by done?" he asked rather surprised but the reply came not from the cellphone.

"Guess one time what that means in our line of work, _mon ami_" a voice suddenly said right behind him. He then turned around only to stare at a gun pointed at his chest, followed mere seconds later by a loud bang from the gun and a sudden and sharp pain in his chest. Looking down he saw that his white suit was being drenched in blood pouring out from his chest and then he collapsed to the ground. He lay there for a few seconds completely gripped in fear as he realized his fate and then he saw someone standing above him, looking down on him. William could not see his face since he wore a hood. The figure bent down and started searching his clothes taking his cellphone, his notebook and his keys. When the figure had searched all parts of William he stood up, picked up William's briefcase and was about to walk away when he looked on William's face and saw that he was still alive. Seeing the utter dread and shock in his eyes, the figure gave him a cruel chuckle.

"Did you actually think that _le patron_ would let you live after all we had told you about our _opération_? You're even more stupid than you look!" he said in a very amused tone. Although William was having trouble just to stay awake he could clearly make out the man's French accent.

"Pl… please! I…. don…'t want to….. dddiie!" was all he could stammer between coughs of blood. This only made the other one laugh.

"Sorry, it's far too late for that kind of thinking now" he said. As the figure turned to leave, a small reflection in a window temporarily illuminated his face. What William then saw chocked him completely, for all that he saw was an iron mask. Then the world went dark for him.

…..

When the Teen Titans had gotten back home Robin had volunteered to do the cooking, mostly to have something to occupy his mind with. The other Titans had been more than happy to let Robin prepare the meal while they did what they wanted to do; Cyborg went to work on his T-car, Raven disappeared into her room, Beast boy slumped into the couch in the living room and started flipping between the channels while Starfire went with Robin. Robin then started preparing a meal of roasted ham with French fries for the rest of the team, except for Beastboy who he knew would refuse to eat it due to him being a vegetarian and so he had also prepared some tofu for Beastboy. Yet despite being fully occupied with cooking Robin could still not shake of the feeling that there was something they were overlooking, something that could explain all these events. During the past weeks crime had increased in a rapid pace, they were mostly just amateur's that the local law enforcements could handle on their own but the sheer number of incidents was still staggering. As if that had not been bad enough suddenly two dussin notorious murderers and terrorists simply vanished from their prisons without anyone even seeing them, followed just two days later by a similar escape. And like to add insult to injury Cinderblock also manages to escape the very same week. Although all these events seemed random Robin was convinced that there was some form of connection between them, but what kind and for what reason he had absolutely no idea.

"Friend, is something wrong?" Starfire asked, Seeming to sense her colleague's bad mood. Robin snapped out of his brooding thoughts and looked at Starfire who stood beside him with a worried expression on her face.

"It's nothing Starfire, I'm just a little tired" he responded, giving her a reassuring smile. But he could see that she did not fully believe him.

"If there is anything you want to talk about, you can always talk to me" she said with that sweet and innocent tone of hers. For a while they just stood there in complete silence. Eventually Robin tried to speak but was interrupted by the timer beeping, indicating that dinner was ready. Robin then began to lay the table while Starfire went to fetch the other Titans. Beastboy was already sitting at the table; since the kitchen and the living room are linked he had heard directly when dinner was ready. Soon the whole team was gathered around the table. At first they all ate in silence but soon Cyborg and Beast boy were having what looked like an eating contest, Robin was chatting with Starfire about varying subjects and Raven sat silently as usual sipping on a cup of herbal tea. Eventually they had finished eating and then they all went their own ways in the tower, except Raven. Today it was her turn to do the washing-up, which she did quite easily by simply using her powers to move the dishes from the table to the zink, pouring water over them and then moving them to the dish rack. After that she returned to her room. Cyborg challenged Beast boy to a best of three rounds in a video game and both of them rushed to the living room and turned on the game station while Robin went to the gym to train his martial skill and Starfire went to feed her pet Silkie. With all the Titans busy with different activities, all thoughts about crimes and intrigues seemed to have been forgotten.


	3. Chapter 3: The face of the enemy

Mining facility

10 km outside of Jump City

The day shift was still not over but the mine was soon to be closed for the day. From his small underground office Jack, the owner of the mine, could already see several of the trucks loaded with equipment and workers heading towards the surface. As he saw it Jack cursed for the hundred time over how the mining operations were to be aborted. When he had first discovered the large iron ore deposits here six years ago he had seen his chance to do what he had always wanted to do; start his very own mine. But it had been quite difficult to acquire the necessary funds and contracts to set up a mine here and he had been ready to give it up. But suddenly he had been contacted by an anonymous person who had given him all he would ever need to mine here for over a century. After that things had gone as clockwork for Jack and he was now a respected businessman with ambitions to expand his mining operations.

But all had changed two weeks ago when one of his digging machines had surprisingly dug right into a cave network. Experts had been called in to analyze this network and decide if it was safe to continue mining operations. Yet the results that returned were chocking to say the least, not only was it discovered that the network was over two thousand years old but it was also confirmed that this was not a natural cave formation; someone had dug it. Upon even closer inspection it was revealed that the whole mine was built on top of some kind of underground castle of massive proportions. How anyone had even managed to build it so deep underground and why they had even done it was a great mystery, one that every historian and archaeologist in the world was more than eager to unveil. So they had pleaded with the government to make them halt all mining operations in the area to prevent them from damaging this marvel and preserve it for future study.

So here he was, a man who had built this whole operation with his guts and determination, watching his lifelong work being shut down, all because of sparing some worthless old ruin right underneath his feet. Cursing his bad luck one more time he went back to pack his belongings. But his angry demeanor was soon replaced by confusion when he saw three trucks just arriving from top side. _That's strange, _he thought, _no one's scheduled to come back down here until tomorrow. _He could also see that the workers that were still down here were as equally confused as he was. He went to the door to go out and check this out but stopped at the door as he saw through his windows that the passengers in the trucks had disembarked, all of them were wearing masks and being armed to the teeth.

Jack stood there frozen by the doorway and looked out through the window as the armed men spread out and started gathering up all the stunned workers. When all the workers had been gathered the armed men herded them deeper into the mine. At that point one of the workers tried to flee and as Jack watched one of the armed men lazily pulled out a gun and nonchalantly shot the worker in the back, causing the other workers to flinch and huddle together while the other armed men just snickered. That got Jack moving as he immediately dived for cover behind his desk, crouched into a fetal position and praying with all his might that they had not seen him. He laid there for several minutes paralyzed by fear while hundreds of thoughts raced through his head; _who were those men, what do they want, why are they here, what will they do to us, will they kill us? _Amid all his desperate thoughts Jack suddenly remembered one thing; he still carried his cellphone in his pocket. Reaching into his pocket, he pulled it out and quickly dialed 911 and then sat and prayed that there would be some connection down here. After two agonizing minutes someone finally picked up his call.

"_911, what's your emergency?" _a calm, female voice answered. Jack took a few seconds to pull himself together and then tried to answer calmly in the phone but failed miserably. The fear and panic in his voice was so strong that it was nearly impossible to comprehend what he was saying.

"This is Jack, I'm in an ore mine outside of Jump City. There's several men with guns down here holding us hostage and they have already shot one of us and…." He was then interrupted when something croaked just a few meters from where he was, causing him to yelp and drop the cellphone. Fearing that he had been discovered, he slowly peered over his desk towards where the croak had come from. And there, sitting on a table at the window, was a crow. Jack just stared at it dumbfounded, wondering what it was doing in a mine and how it got inside his office. But his curiosity was soon replaced by dread when someone spoke to him from one of the dark corners.

"_Vous n'auriez pas fait ça_" the figure moved out of the shadows and the last thing Jack saw in his life was a man in an iron mask pointing a gun at him.

…..

"BOOYAAAH!" Cyborg burst out when on the TV screen the text "Cyborg wins" flashed. He then proceeded to do a victory dance while repeating the phrase "who's your man?" over and over to Beast boy, who sat slumped in the couch with his arms crossed over his chest and with a sullen expression on his face. Suddenly the screen started flashing red while an alarm went off. After a couple of minutes Raven materialized through the floor and mere seconds later the door opened and Starfire flew in followed swiftly by Robin who immediately ran to the control panel.

"Dude, what's going on?" Beast boy asked Robin. He did not answer directly but first brought up a map of the city and the surrounding area before speaking.

"There's trouble going on in an iron ore mine ten km outside the city. A 911 call was received from there twenty minutes ago, the one calling claimed that armed men had breached the mine and taken hostages. The one taking the call said that she clearly heard a gunshot before connection was lost. SWAT teams and local police forces are already on sight, but they request back-up." Robin indicated a red mark on the map, marking the location of the mine.

"Sounds like we're the back-up" Cyborg said while slamming his right fist into his left palm and smiling. But just then the alarm went off again and everyone turned to the screen in confusion. On the map another three markers had appeared. Robin then immediately started to check what those situations were.

"We've got a warehouse down at the dock that's being raided by a dozen armed criminals" Robin said indicating the red marker in the docks.

"A bank that's being robbed by Doctor Light" Robin continued indicating the red marker in downtown.

"And another escape attempt at the prison" Robin finished indicating the red marker in the prison.

"Three separate crimes at different locations just when we're alerted about a situation at the mine. Isn't that a little too convenient?" Raven asked Robin, voicing his own concerns. This was just too well timed to be a mere coincidence in his opinion.

"Regardless, we can't just ignore these crimes" Robin said. After standing there for a few seconds in deep thoughts he then addressed the whole team.

"Alright, this is how we'll do it; Beast boy, you'll go to the warehouse and stop those raiders. Cyborg, you'll deal with Doctor Light. Starfire, you head over to the prison and give the guards support. Raven, you and I'll head to the mine!" and with that said, the whole team went into action.

…..

As Raven flew through the evening sky, she couldn't help but brood on all that has happened. Just like Robin she was sure that there was more to all off this than what lay on the surface. But trying to discover what it was were like trying to catch a frog in a swamp, you had to dig through places you had rather avoided completely and every time you thought you had caught it the damn thing would just slip through your grip and disappear again. Below her she could see Robin speeding along the road on his motorcycle and she could sense that he was in a similar bad mood as she was. As both of them continued onwards he last rays of light were slowly disappearing as the sun was setting behind the horizon. When the light retreated the darkness started creeping up, slowly engulfing the surrounding landscape. While watching it Raven started to have an uncomfortable feeling in her stomach, a nervous feeling that just would not go away. To call it fear would be to overstate it but it still sent a shiver down Raven's spine. At first she blamed it on how this entire situation unnerved her with how it all almost seemed to be planned but as she flew closer to the mine the feeling intensified. Raven realized that this feeling was also not a coincidence but that there was….. something up ahead, something in that mine that affected her. As the feeling intensified she could somewhat feel the being behind it. Whatever it was she could feel that it was old, almost ancient, she felt the bitterness and evil from it but strangest of all; somehow it felt familiar to her, almost like she had some connection with it. And that unnerved her even more as she and Robin approached the mine.

…..

In the gloom of the mine, a lone figure stirred from its contemplation. It had sensed something, a presence approaching. It already knew about the masses of policemen outside the mine and was already watching them with its many eyes and ears. But this was different; it had not seen or heard this presence just simply felt it coming. Yet it did not feel hostile or guarded to the figure instead it felt more reassuring, like when you meet a long lost kindred. Intrigued as to what it could possibly be, the figure slowly rose from its resting place.

"I think that _les hommes_ can handle the rest on their own now, what do you say we go and see who this new _visiteur_ is?" the figure asked with a French accent. His question was answered by a croak and then a crow flew from the shadows and landed on the figures left shoulder. And with that, the man in the iron mask moved towards the underground exit to await the new arrivals.

…..

When Raven and Robin finally arrived at the mine it was completely dark but all the headlights from the police force illuminated the whole area as if it was still day. Several police cars had formed a semi-circle around the mine entrance while behind it other policemen were setting up secondary barricades and around this makeshift siege force snipers were positioned in trees, buildings and different mine machines to watch every direction in case they were attacked from behind. As they entered the police camp Robin immediately went to find the commander. Raven followed him but soon started falling behind as she felt that feeling intensify. It was not like it was painful or distracting to her, it was just that she wondered exactly what it was that she felt. Deciding that standing and guessing what it was would not get her anywhere she hurried to catch up with Robin. Raven also took the opportunity to scan her surroundings, she could clearly see the relieved expressions in the faces of every policeman she passed but she also saw a large number of crows. They seemed to be everywhere, silently watching everything. As Raven was watching, one policeman tried to shoo away a crow that had landed very close to where he was operating a radio. The crow flew away but only a very short span before landing in a dark spot out of sight of the policeman but, Raven remarked, still close enough to hear what the policeman was saying.

Raven also noticed that several of the crows were now watching her very intently. Intrigued as to what those birds wanted, she reached out with her mind to the closest of them but immediately recoiled when she touched it. To the normal senses those crows seemed to be just regular crows but when using your magical senses on them they practically reeked of dark magic of the worst sort. Raven quickly picked up her pace and soon found Robin in conversation with Jump City Police Commissioner Jason Hudson. Hudson was a large and muscular man, with a bald head and ice blue eyes, rarely seen as he mostly wore sunglasses. He had a neutral face expression which mirrored his way of thinking, he never took sides in any affairs and he neither supported nor condemned anything in life, he just simply did his job and that was it. He was dressed in a brown jacket, a pair of black jeans and for once he did not wear sunglasses. Robin stood in front of Hudson and as he stood with his back to Raven he did not notice her arrival until he saw that Hudson was looking over his shoulder. Robin turned around and when seeing Raven he smiled at her.

"Raven, there you are! I was wondering where you had gone" he said to her.

"Sorry, I got distracted. Did I miss anything important?" she answered with a calm voice and expression, but she was having trouble to keep that façade up. Hudson answered her question.

"Not really, I was just about to explain why there are so many officers on sight" Robin turned to Hudson again while Raven walked up beside him. Robin had his usual serious face which he always had when dealing with crime.

"Well, go on then" Robin said.

"Those workers that were top side when the 911 call was made reported that three trucks had entered the mine, each one capable of carrying ten men. That could possibly mean that we got thirty armed hostiles holed up in that mine and from what intel we got from the 911 call, we already know they're more than willing to kill" Hudson explained to them. That seemed to get Robin worried as well. Eventually Raven spoke.

"Do we even know what they're after?" she asked, but the facial expression Hudson had told her everything she needed; nobody knew what their goal was. Hudson answered however her question.

"No, we don't. But I guess it has something to do with the castle" he said. That surprised both Robin and Raven and they both got a confused look in their faces.

"What castle are you talking about?" Robin asked. Hudson's reaction to the question was by raising an eyebrow.

"I take it you haven't read the newsletters lately? It has been discovered that the whole mine is built right on top of an ancient, underground castle. The government has decided to abort all mining operations here to preserve it" he said. _Now that's interesting,_ Raven thought. Due to her daemonic heritage she had always been interested in the occult and one particular fact about it was that back in the old days those who used this knowledge would seek shelter from the rest of the world underground. Often they would seek out old caves or sewers and form their own small societies were they could practice their arcane knowledge in peace. Could it be that this castle used to be a sanctuary for those kinds of people in ancient times? _If so, _Raven thought, _then who knows what could be inside its walls._ Raven was contemplating whether her suspicions were relevant enough that she should mention them to Robin. However, at that moment a policeman came running up with a radio.

"Sir, we have contact with the strike teams!" the man practically yelled as he got close enough. Both Titans turned to Hudson with inquiring expressions.

"I sent in three SWAT teams just minutes before you two arrived. Their mission is to survey the interior of the mine and identify the hostile threat" Hudson answered to the Titans unasked question. Hudson then grabbed the radio and spoke into the headset but set the radio so that the others could listen as well.

"Matt, report" there was a few seconds of silence before the reply came.

"_We've entered the upper levels of the mine. The place is deserted, we're preparing to… wait! Movement up ahead, we're investigating!" _Then there was silence. For several minutes no sound was heard other than some shuffling sound from the other end. But that ended with a painful shriek followed mere seconds later by the barking of gunfire.

"_Contact! Contact! We're under attack!" _Matt yelled into the headset. In the background gunfire and screams of terror could be heard.

"_They're everywhere! We're surrounded! Oh my god we're dead!"_

"Matt, what's happening down there?" Hudson asked into the headset with panic in his voice.

"_Get them off me! GET THEM OFF ME!"_ was the only reply he received before all went silent on the other end. All the screaming and shooting had stopped completely. Everyone just stood there without moving and simply staring at the radio. Eventually Hudson broke the silence by speaking in the headset.

"Matt? Can you hear me? What just happened?" he asked, desperately trying to keep a calm voice. Then they heard that someone was picking up the call and everyone's faces lit up, but that light faded when they heard a cruel chuckle from the other end.

"_Sorry, he is indisponible at the moment, can I take a message?" _a voice said from the other end with a French accent. Hudson immediately got a hard and hateful expression in his face and his muscles tensed. He looked like he was ready to leap up and strangle whoever was closest to him.

"Who are you, and what have you done to my men?" Hudson yelled into the headset. The voice in the other end just laughed before it spoke again.

"_If you're so curieux to know, why don't you come down and see for yourself?"_ Then the link was broken. For a while, no one moved or said anything until Robin moved to stand in front of Hudson.

"What do you plan on doing now?" Robin asked. Hudson just sighed and leaned against a police car.

"There's not much I can do at the moment. Those were my best men and they just got butchered in a matter of seconds. I'm not risking more of my men's life until I know what we're dealing with" he answered.

"You and your men stay here. Raven and I will deal with this French guy" Robin said while slamming his right fist into his left palm. Hudson just nodded. When Robin was about to walk away Hudson called out to him.

"Hey Robin, whoever this guy is; kick his ass extra hard for Matt" Robin just nodded before turning to Raven.

"Let's go!" was all he said and then they both ran towards the mine entrance while Hudson was yelling orders to his men behind them.

…..

As they moved deeper into the mine, Raven felt that evil presence grow stronger. After seeing all that had happened she was now certain that whoever that French guy on the radio was, he was what Raven sensed. While trudging on Raven saw that there were several lamps set in the walls in the tunnel but none of them worked, whatever power source that supplied them being shut down, so the only source of light was a flashlight that Robin, who was walking in front of her, held in his hand. Raven had never been one to be afraid of the darkness but even she was deeply disturbed by the choking darkness in the tunnel; it felt like there were eyes out there watching them. Deciding that now was the time to share her concerns with Robin, she moved up next to him.

"Robin, we need to talk" she said with her usual neutral tone. Robin just kept walking.

"Can't it wait until we're done with the mission?" he asked her.

"It is about the mission" Raven replied flatly. That got his attention as he slowed his pace to face her. Robin did not say anything but he nodded his head slightly to indicate that he was listening.

"That man on the radio is more powerful than we think" Raven said, for once having a hint of nervousness in her voice.

"He took out three SWAT teams in just a few seconds. I think that speaks for itself. He is skilled" Robin simply stated. Raven however continued speaking.

"That's not what I meant. Look, did you notice all those crows outside?" Robin nodded while giving her a look that said that he did not understand what that had to do with anything.

"They aren't real crows, they are made of dark magic. My guess is that their function is to spy on the police force outside and I bet it's that French man who's controlling them" Raven explained. That really got Robin's attention as he stopped dead in his tracks and looked straight at Raven. Eventually he turned his sight forward, apparently done processing the information, and he and Raven continued walking. After a few minutes Robin addressed Raven again.

"So we're dealing with a magic user then. Is there anything else you might know about him?" he asked. Raven simply shook her head, but that was a lie. Raven did not want to reveal that feeling she had, not until she was sure what it was. Soon the tunnel they had walked along opened up in a larger dome shaped cavern full of small buildings and different machines. There was not much light in there either but enough to see the shapes and outlines of the different buildings, digging machines and corpses that lay strewn about. When seeing the dead, Robin and Raven immediately tensed and scanned the surroundings for any threats. Not detecting any threats both of them approached the nearest corpse. Seeing the weapons and equipment he carried they could identify him as SWAT, or at least what was left of him. It looked like something had picked the corpse clean of all flesh. And when looking at what was left of the face, the painful and twisted grimace showed that he had been alive when he was eaten. The horrible sight made Raven sick and she could see that Robin was equally disgusted.

"What could have done such a thing?" Robin asked, the disgust in his voice dripping like venom. As if on cue, a black shape darted out from the shadows and flew right into Robins face. Robin smacked it away and it retreated some distance and now Raven could see that it was a crow. The crow then flew to the right and landed on the shoulders of a man sitting on a large box. Both Robin and Raven took up a fighting stance when they saw him, quite shocked how they had managed to miss him in the first place. The figure sat in a dark area so his face was hidden in shadows but his lower body was visible. He wore a black Volcom jacket, had black gloves and a pair of black painted military pants and boots.

"_Bonjour mes amis, ça va?" _the figure asked in a cheerful manner, as if he was talking to two old friends rather than two enemies. Neither Robin nor Raven answered him; they easily recognized the French accent from the radio. The figure just chuckled.

"Not much of _les_ _parleurs_ are you two? No matter, why don't we begin by _présenter _each other,_ non?" _he asked.

"You first" Robin practically spat out the words, causing the figure to laugh even more.

"_Très bien. _I have been called many things in life" he said while jumping of the box and slowly walking into the light.

"_Le Destructeur, _murderer, Satan's bastard, monster, _Le Corbeau _killer, psychopath, freak, terrorist, mindless butcherer, God's forsaken one" he rambled on while walking into the light.

"But you may simply call me Iron Mask" he announced just when he stood fully in the light, revealing that his entire head was locked in an iron mask.

* * *

><p><em>Note to all those who've read this far. I have now posted three chapters in this story and I would appreciate if you would submit a comment on it and give me your thoughts on this story. I will finish this story no matter what, but it would be nice if someone showed that they like what I write.<em>

_Now, since not everyone can speak French, here's the translations:_

_Vous n'auriez pas fait ça _= you should not have done that

_les hommes = the men_

indisponible = unavailable

_Bonjour mes amis, ça va_ = goodday my friends, how are you

_les_ _parleurs_ = talkers

_Très bien_ = very well

_Le Destructeur = the destroyer_

__Le Corbeau _= the crow_

_there are of course other French words, but I hope that they ressemble the English version enough that you don't need translation._


	4. Chapter 4: First encounter

Raven could only stand there and stare at the iron mask. Not that it was scary to her, she had seen worse in her life, but it was simply the dark magic that was pulsing from it like a black heart that disturbed her. How he had gotten hold of something like that, let alone that he was able to wear it at all, was beyond her imagination. Now when she was standing in front of him she was now certain beyond any doubt that this was the being she had felt all along. Beside her, Robin seemed to be completely ignorant of the dark energies in the mask. Raven was not surprised over that; Robin had no skill or knowledge in magic so to him, the mask was nothing more than a piece of metal. When Raven turned her attention back to Iron Mask, she noticed that he was watching her just as intently, like he was trying to remember if they had met before. _Could it be that he too has felt the connection,_ she wondered. For five minutes nobody moved, all three of them too intent on observing one another. Eventually Robin broke the awkward silence.

"What do you want!" he angrily demanded of Iron Mask, who simply sighted.

"Now now, you don't have to be so _furieux. _You should try to ask questions more _gentimment" _he said calmly, like when you try to explain something to a child. That only served to provoke Robin, who looked like he was ready to pounce on Iron Mask at a moment's notice. He controlled himself however and kept his cool.

"I'll give you one chance to surrender and come peacefully!" Robin said with an authoritative voice. Suddenly Iron Mask started to snicker.

"I have only one _chose_ to say to that" he said between the snickers. Robin got a hard expression to his face.

"And what is that?" Robin asked with a cautious voice, apparently expecting Iron Mask to try some kind of trick. Raven also readied herself; she expected that he would try to cast some form of spell. Raven gathered her own powers in preparation for such a move. But what he said was not what any of them had expected.

"Dinner's ready" he sing-songed and suddenly the whole mine seemed to explode as thousands of crows dived out of every dark corner and descended on the two Titans. Robin jumped to the side as a swarm of crows crashed into the ground where Robin had stood just a few seconds earlier, but another swarm of them came at him and nearly knocked him off his feet. Raven found herself surrounded by the crows so she used her powers to form a dome around herself just as the crows swarmed her, then she expanded it and forced the crows back. She then formed hundreds of black needle's and bombarded the crows with them, killing hundreds of them but still they came at her and she was forced back as they came at her like a swarm of locusts. Raven turned her focus for a few seconds to find Robin in this maelstrom of beaks and feathers. When Raven finally located Robin she could see that he was fairing no better as he now had his staff out and was using it like a propeller to keep the crows away but there was just too many for him to handle. Already was he covered with cuts and his clothes were a bit torn, but Raven had no more time to worry about him as the crows dived for her again.

Raven formed a barrier in front of herself and smashed it straight into the swarm and crushed dozens of them but more of them just poured around it and flew towards her. _Where are they all coming from,_ was all she had time to think before the first ones crashed into her and knocked her off her feet. Then they started picking and scratching at every part of her body, she bit back the pain and managed to smack away some of the birds but more of them kept coming and Raven was soon overwhelmed.

Just then there were several explosions among the crows surrounding Raven and they were dispersed by the blasts. The crows tried to reform and attack again but were dispersed a second time as Robin threw another trio of explosive discs into their midst. Robin then moved to Raven and smacked away the few crows still on her and helped her on her feet.

"Are you all right?" he asked, quite out of breath. Raven just nodded her head in response and drew back her hood. Both of them were still in somewhat good shape, their clothes were a little torn and they bled from a dozen minor cuts, but Raven knew that if the fight continued in the same way they would eventually be overrun. Robin seemed to have made the same conclusion as he scanned the cavern for anything that might even the odds. But he had no more time to look as the crows came at them again. Robin tried to pull out another trio of explosive discs but the crows were too fast and were swarming them before Robin could even pull out the discs from his utility belt. Raven was forced backwards and lost sight of Robin among the crows and she prepared herself for another attack from the crows. Strangely enough, no attack came. Instead, the crows just flew around her as if some invisible force field were holding them back. Not about to waste this opportunity, Raven gathered her powers for a massive attack to force her way through the crows to Robin. However, just as she was about to attack, Iron Mask suddenly jumped out of the swarm of crows and landed right in front of Raven. Before Raven even had time to register this threat Iron Mask delivered a hard punch into Raven's stomach which knocked the air out of her and she doubled over on the ground, writhing in pain.

"I'm c_urieux _about you. For some _raison _I was able to feel your _présence_. Even before you entered the mine" he said to her while she desperately tried to get some air and stand up.

"And judging from the way you _regardé _me, I guess that you also felt mine" he continued while walking around Raven. He also started to pull out a knife from behind his back.

"So before I kill you, I want to know who you are and why I feel your _présence_, _petite fille"_ he said to her. He then bent down and reached for Raven's throat with his left hand. But just then Raven suddenly sprang up and punched Iron Mask in the chest. Raven also channeled her powers into the punch, giving it extra strength, and Iron Mask was hurled several yards back, dropping his knife in the process, and with a bone-shattering crunch he smashed into the cavern wall before collapsing in a heap of limbs. Raven stood there and stared at Iron Mask, her chest heaving from adrenaline, while her eyes glowed white.

"For the record; the name's Raven!" she snarled at him. Raven expected Iron Mask to whimper in pain or to be unconscious, but to her surprise he just started to laugh again. Then he just stood up, as if he had simply been taking a nap, and brushed of his sleeves before starting to walk towards Raven again.

"Raven, you say? _Enchanté _to make your _connaissance_" he said while picking up his knife with his left hand from the ground, and then he lounged for her. He swung his knife for her head but she brought up her right hand and formed a small barrier that deflected the blow. But the knife swing had merely been a feint as now Iron Mask slipped his right hand under her guard gripping her left shoulder and trying to throw her to her left while tripping her with his right leg. Raven fell to the ground on her back, right next to a few containers marked "acetylene", while Iron Mask raised his right leg trying to smash his boot into Raven's chest, but she formed another barrier which caught his foot. She then threw him back which made him land on his back, but he quickly jumped back up on his feet while Raven levitated back up.

Iron Mask did not give Raven a chance to recover as he came at her again and barraged her with punches and kicks which forced Raven to go on the defensive. Raven quickly realized that Iron Mask was wearing her down as he was too fast for her to block all his arracks as several of them hit their target. However, as Iron Mask kept attacking; Raven suddenly moved closer to him and brought her left knee into his groin, taking a punch to the chest and a kick in the right leg in the process. Iron Mask temporarily lost focus and stumbled back but that was all Raven needed. She retreated a few paces and enveloped and nearby rock about the size of a football in dark energy and threw it at Iron Mask. As the rock came at him Iron Mask jumped to the right, letting the rock hit him on his left shoulder and spinning him around a full turn. As he came back around he had pulled out two daggers and threw them at Raven, who managed to catch them with her power just inches from her face.

"You're _bien, _I'll give you that. But I…" Iron Mask said while holding his left arm out from his side. He made a cutting motion with his arm and suddenly he held a card in his hand.

"… I'm magic!" he concluded before throwing the card at Raven. The card glanced Raven on her throat making a small wound. The wound caused Raven to lose focus and drop her guard, more from the chock than from the wound itself, but she soon regretted it when she felt a sharp pain in her right shoulder. Iron Mask had taken the opportunity to close the distance between them and drive his knife into Raven's shoulder. Warm, wet blood started pumping out of the wound and Raven could only stand there, paralyzed by pain. Iron Mask grabbed hold of her other shoulder with his free hand and leaned forward to whisper into her ear.

"And that's _la fin _of this _bataille, _and your life" he said. He then pulled out his knife from Raven's shoulder, drawing a hiss of pain from her, and made ready to plunge it into her throat. At that moment, the whole world seemed to start moving in slow motion in Raven's mind. She could see the knife descending towards her slowly and she felt a great fear grip her heart and a single tear rolled down her cheek. Despite that she spent her time fighting evil and putting her life on the line every day; she could not escape from the fact that she did not want to die, that she was afraid of death. Now, when facing death, Raven's normal emotionless attitude disappeared and she was overwhelmed by all her feelings pushing to the surface. And in that one moment of weakness, her control slipped and the daemon inside of her tore free from its restraints. Raven suddenly felt herself become flooded with anger, rage, hatred and an unquenchable urge to destroy everything, starting with the man in front of her. Suddenly the world snapped back into focus and the knife came at her faster. But before it could make contact, Raven's left hand shot up and grabbed Iron Mask's arm with a speed and strength that she did not have a few seconds earlier. If Raven had been able to see Iron Mask's face then, it would have had a shocked expression. Iron Mask looked on Raven's face and saw there a murderous intent that would have made Freddy Krueger pale with fright, and her eyes now shone blood red. Yet Iron Mask remained calm.

"So that's why" was all he had time to say before he was hit by a dark energy blast from Raven and was once again hurled back, but this time with such force that when he hit a concrete storage building reinforced with steel pipes he went straight through the walls on both sides. The Daemon Raven then gave an inhuman screech and started gathering her powers to tear the whole mine apart, then it would move on to the cops on the surface, then the city and then….. _wait, _a voice suddenly said in her head, _this is not want I want, this is not who I am. _The Daemon Raven felt its power slowly being repressed and Raven felt that her mind became less clouded by her daemon self's need for destruction. And with all the willpower Raven could muster, she fought the daemon in her and slowly started to regain control over herself. After two agonizing minutes Raven was in full control again and she collapsed to her knees from the exhaustion. Feeling that her shoulder wound was still bleeding freely she raised her left hand to the wound and used her powers to heal it, but the best she could do was stop the bleeding. Too exhausted to do anything else at the moment, Raven collapsed on all four and tried to catch her breath.

After what felt like an eternity to her, Raven finally felt she had the strength to at least stand on her knees. Raven turned her eyes to where she had smashed Iron Mask trough a building and she felt a small sadness over what she had just done. Even though he had been a sadistic killer and a cruel man; it still went against all that the Titans believed in to kill anyone, no matter how evil they were. Yet despite that she knew that killing was wrong; Raven could not deny the fact that there was one part of her that felt no regret over her action, that even felt pride over what she had just done. But amid all her dark thoughts she finally noticed that the flapping of wings and the croaking had not gone away. Looking around Raven saw that the crows were still here and she could also hear Robin somewhere as he frantically fought on against the unending tide of crows.

"But if they're still here, than that means…." She was then interrupted by Iron Mask's psychotic laughter echoing across the cavern. Slowly, she turned her head towards the smashed building and watched in horror as Iron Mask stumbled out of the building, looking more like he was suffering from a bad hangover than from being smashed to a bloody pulp. Just by looking at him, Raven could clearly see that he should not be able to walk at all; his right foot was twisted in an unnatural angle, he half dragged his whole right leg and a steel rod had pierced his left shoulder. Yet he kept walking towards her as if they were just minor nuisances, all the while he just kept laughing.

"That was _splendide_, _mademoiselle _Raven, _splendide _indeed!" he announced when he had closed half the distance between them. Raven could only sit there and stare in mute horror at him.

"I would have never expected that such _pouvoir _were in you! But now, thanks to your _demonstration, les_ _pièces_ start to fall into place for me!" he continued while walking ever closer to Raven, who know at least tried to crawl away from him. As he continued to ramble on, his voice got a more menacing tone.

"But I see that you have repressedthat _pouvoir _in you. A pity that you see a _nécessité _to hide who you truly are. So I will just have to find a way to bring your true _visage_ out again!" He was now standing very close to her. Raven summoned her powers and enveloped all the nearby debris in dark energy and hurled them at Iron Mask, who easily dodged them with a speed that nobody as injured as he was could possibly have. He then jumped in front of were Raven was kneeling and brought up his left foot in a kick which connected with the side of Raven's head, knocking her completely to the ground. Raven managed to roll over on her back as the world kept spinning in her head. Eventually she could make out that someone was standing above her but her vision was too blurred to make out who it was, not that she needed to see him to know that it was Iron Mask. He slowly bent down and reached for her and Raven tried to slap him away but he easily caught both her arms. He grabbed both her arms in his right hand and held them over Raven's head while leaning closer to her face.

"Now Raven. I'd like to _savoir _more about you, and of your _patrimoine"_ he said before placing his free hand on her forehead. At that moment the whole mine shook by an underground explosion and some sections of the cavern collapsed. A rock landed on one of the acetylene containers, knocking it over and creating a small crack in it which caused the gas to leak out. An oil drum was also knocked over and its contents spilled out, flowing against a severed wire that was still sparkling and the acetylene containers next to Iron Mask and Raven. A large fissure also opened not far away from where they were. Raven heard Iron Mask mutter something in French before pulling out a radio from his pocket.

"_Monsieur_ Jason_. Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé?"_ he asked with a calm voice into the radio. Then someone on the other end spoke.

"_Sorry boss. The gate into the castle was sealed and since we thought you were in a hurry, we figured we might as well blow it open" _Iron Mask's calm voice immediately disappeared and he shouted his reply into the radio.

"You _imbécile_! Are you trying to get us all killed? That _chateau _is over two thousand years old! Onewrong move, and the whole cave network will _s'écrouler!_" The person in the other end gave a hasty and fearful reply before signing off. Iron Mask just sighed.

"_Créatures incompétents" _he said before turning his attention back to Raven. Her vision had finally stopped spinning and she gathered her powers to fight back. However, Iron Mask seemed to have guessed that so he slammed her head hard into the ground, causing her to lose her focus.

"If you would just stop _résister_, this will be over more _rapidement" _Iron Mask whispered and then he placed his hand on her forehead again and started reciting a spell that Raven immediately recognized as one used to enter another person's mind. But even though Raven knew what Iron Mask was doing she was too exhausted and to stunned from the pain in her head to do anything to stop him. All Raven could do was lie there as she felt Iron Mask's mind enter her own.

…..

Iron Mask easily recited the spell from memory and managed to break Raven's weakened mind barriers in the blink of an eye. He had used this spell so many times in his career that he had become the undisputed master at breaking into another person's mind. He was so skilled at it that he could go into a mind, go through a lifetime of memories and knowledge while in the real world it would have been just a few seconds. As Iron Mask detached his mind from his body and entered Raven's he found himself levitating in a place that could be closest described as madness; with thousands of colors and images flashing past with the speed of light in completely random directions and blending with each other to form shapes that deify comprehension before disintegrating and beginning the process again. To a normal mind this experience would drive it insane but Iron Mask had seen this a hundred times before. He already knew that this is how a person's mind looks to an outsider forcing its way in; chaotic, unreasonable and completely uncomprehensionable to the intruder.

Not wasting any time, Iron Mask began working on organizing all the thoughts and memories with a mechanical precision that only decades of experience could create. When invading a person's mind; time becomes irrelevant as past, present and future seem to blend together. Even Iron Mask could not tell how time moved in a mind; an eternity could be a second, a second could be an eternity. Iron Mask had in his career learned that trying to take information from another mind is just like when you go through a bureau with an organizing system you have never used; it is tricky at first but once you have learned the system it is easy to grab what you are looking for. Eventually Iron Mask had managed to set everything up for him to begin taking the information he was after. Iron Mask was very tempted to start to scrutinize Raven's life and background after seeing what she was capable of doing but he restrained himself. _There will be plenty of time to indulge my own curiosity later, _he thought, _once I have gotten the more vital information._

So Iron Mask started by searching Raven's memories for information about her team, starting by looking for the boy in the fancy costume Iron Mask's crows were trying to eat and failing miserably. He soon found what he was looking for as in front of him dozens of pictures and thoughts flashed up like on a computer screen, depicting Robin along with everything Raven knew about him. After studying the information and storing it in his own mind, Iron Mask moved on to investigate the rest of the team. After that he went through schematics of their home, passwords to their mainframe, security systems, deactivation codes, criminal registers, access points, transport methods, communication lines and anything else that might give him an advantage in future confrontations.

Satisfied that he had gotten all the vital information about the Teen Titans, Iron Mask finally turned his full attention to Raven. Iron Mask wanted to find the part of Raven that he had seen when he had tried to kill her, but trying to find it in this place without even knowing where to look would be a complete waste of time. Iron Mask had to be patient and wait for a sign as to where to begin searching. So he simply began going through her memories, starting with her earliest ones about a world called Azarath, then moving on to her arrival on Earth and subsequent acceptance into the Teen Titans, her time with them and all the villains they brought down. While going through Raven's experiences, Iron Mask suddenly detected that which he had searched; Raven's daemonic powers. Iron Mask immediately ignored the rest of Raven's memories, having reached her birthday, and went straight to that hidden power. Upon finding it Iron Mask discovered that it was locked in one of the strongest mind barriers he had ever seen, its complexity and sheer strength staggering. Normally Iron Mask would never have been able to break such strong resistance, but he noticed that the barrier was meant to keep Raven's powers inside and not to keep someone outside. Iron Mask could not help but laugh over such idiocy; locking away such great power when you should instead use it.

Iron Mask started working on opening a hole in the defenses, which was much harder than he could have ever guessed, in order to get a better look at that which Raven so desperately tries to hide away. Eventually he managed to make a hole and immediately dived for it, yet what he found inside would forever be burnt into his memory. Looking inside he found a red colored ball shaped object with a surface that swirled around like an angry sea of boiling blood. When Iron Mask looked closer at it he saw that it tried to form a shape but was restrained by the barrier and thus kept in its current form. Iron Mask reached out to it and touching it he was assailed by a horrible vision. Iron Mask found himself standing in a world which he recognized as Azarath from Raven's memory, but instead of the glorious and prosperous world he had seen earlier he stood in a burning world, devoid of all life. Its wondrous monuments were cast down and everything around him was burning like in the pits of hell. Iron Mask had seen destruction and misery before, often being the cause of it, but this was entirely in another league. A normal person would have been abhorred by such massive carnage and destruction, but Iron Mask saw what it truly was: magnificent. Iron Mask truly reveled in seeing the destruction all around him, his heart leaping with joy over this artistic beauty. Iron Mask felt like he was a spectator watching a grand opera unfold around him and was saddened that he had missed the beginning of it. Now more than ever he was desperate to see what daemonic power truly lurked inside Raven.

Iron Mask soon found it when he heard a cruel and inhuman laugh above him, and when he looked to the red skies he saw four red glowing eyes staring down on him. Iron Mask was immediately seized by awe upon seeing the creature, for Iron Mask knew all too well who it was that was staring back.

"Trigon!" Iron Mask practically whispered the name. Trigon; arguably the most powerful daemon in all the ages, the destroyer of worlds and the only being in the world that Iron Mask had ever recognized as being superior to himself. He now truly grasped who Raven really was, and what she was capable of. As that realization dawned to him, his awe was quickly replaced by a mix of respect and amusement; respect for Raven that she actually was a living descendant of the most infamous daemon ever to exist, amusement by the fact that she somehow ended up as a hero and fought against the very thing she should embrace. _Who could have guessed that the offspring of evil incarnate would choose to stand for goodness,_ Iron Mask thought. Some might even call it poetic, but Iron Mask had never been one for poetry. At that moment however, Iron Mask found something extraordinary; he found his own destiny, a reason to exist for more than bringing mindless death and misery. As he stood in a dead and burning world, watched by the most malicious being ever to exist, Iron Mask laughed, now having discovered a purpose for himself in this world other than mindless destruction. Iron Mask laughed even as he ended the spell and returned to the real world.

* * *

><p><em>Once again, here's the translations:<em>

_Gentimment = kindly_

_Chose = thing_

_Raison = reason_

_Regardé = watching_

_Petite fille = little girl_

_Enchanté = pleasure_

_Connaissance = acquaintance_

_Bien = good_

_La fin = the end_

_Bataille = battle_

_Splendide = magnificent_

_Pouvoir = power_

_Visage = face_

_Savoir = know_

_Patrimoine = heritage_

_Qu'est-ce qui s'est passé = what just happened_

_Chateau = castle_

_S'écrouler = collapse_

_Créatures incompétents = incompetent henchmen_

_Rapidement = quickly _


	5. Chapter 5: Corruption begins

Raven was confused by Iron Mask's behavior; he had cast a mindreading spell on her but had barely used it a few seconds before he pulled away while laughing hysterically. As Iron Mask backed away, laughing all the time, he almost stumbled over his broken right leg while Raven got back up on her feet and made herself ready to fight. Unfortunately for Raven, she was not in any condition to fight; her right shoulder throbbed with pain and her vision was still slightly blurry, making it a struggle just to stand up straight. While Raven swayed unsteadily on her feet trying to keep balance, Iron Mask had stopped laughing and was facing her menacingly again. Yet Raven noticed that he did not reach for any weapons nor was he making any threatening moves against her nor was he summoning his crows which still circled around the two of them in swarms but keeping their distance. Iron Mask just simply stood where he was with his full attention towards Raven.

"_Qui l'aurait deviné_?" he suddenly said while pulling out the steel rod still embedded in his left shoulder and throwing it aside. Raven of course did not understand a word of what he was saying and she was starting to become annoyed by Iron Mask's habit of speaking French.

"Can you stop talking French" Raven asked in an irritated voice. Iron Mask simply laughed.

"Oh, have I_ bouleversé_ you in some way?" Iron Mask responded with an innocent tone. Raven took up a fighting stance despite her difficulties and nearly fell over. Iron Mask seemed to become a little surprised.

"Are you really going to _combat _me in your _condition_? You can barely stand up!" Iron Mask said, sounding somewhat impressed. Raven of course knew full well that she was in no condition to fight anyone at the moment. But Raven was determined not to appear weak in front of her adversary and stared defiantly at Iron Mask.

"I never back down" Raven calmly responded to him. Iron Mask just laughed but Raven noticed that his muscles tensed a bit.

"_Très bien" _Iron Mask replied and made ready to attack. At that moment Robin jumped through the swarms of crows and landed behind Iron Mask delivering a kick into his back, knocking him off his feet which made him land close to Raven. Iron Mask tried to stand up but at that moment his right leg gave fully away and he collapsed on his back, yet he did not show any signs of pain or discomfort instead he just cursed in French. With Iron Mask at least temporarily incapacitated Raven turned her head towards Robin and if she thought she was worn down, it was nothing compared to Robin. His whole cape was torn to shreds along with the "R" symbol on his tunic, his pants had been scraped off on both his knees, the knees were severely cut and bleeding, both his arms were covered by cuts and scrapes and his right eye was swollen. Robin was breathing heavily and was clutching his left side with a painful expression on his face and he used his staff to support himself. Despite being in such a condition Robin was ready to continue fighting. He turned to Raven and gave her a reassuring smile, which she mirrored, and then he fixed Iron Mask, who now at least had managed to get on his knees, with an icy glare.

"It's over, Iron Mask" he said with a hard voice. But Iron Mask simply laughed even more. _This guy is insane, _Raven thought as she made ready to fight. Iron Mask was facing Raven but turned his head around to address Robin.

"Not as long as I _respire_" he said with a menacing tone. Deciding that there was no more need for talk, all three made ready to fight. At that moment Robin momentarily glanced to the left and what he saw caused his left eye to widen in horror.

"Raven! The gas!" he shouted in panic. Raven immediately lost interest in Iron Mask, looked to the right and saw that some oil had been spilled out and had catched fire and was burning a trail towards the containers of acetylene that Raven stood mere feet's from. Now when Raven thought about it, she noticed a smell of gas and when she looked closer at the containers she saw that one of them was leaking.

"_Merde" _Raven heard Iron Mask say, indicating he had also noticed the leak. The fire was now mere seconds from making contact with the gas and Raven reacted instinctively by enveloping herself in a black sphere. Raven closed her eyes as the acetylene was ignited with a whooshing sound and her sphere was engulfed in flames. Raven felt herself being hurled backwards by the blast and she expected to connect with solid ground any moment. But after falling for 10 seconds Raven finally opened her eyes to see the flames and the mine above her shrinking away. It took her a moment to realize that she had fallen into a fissure. She tried to levitate herself but she discovered that she was too weak for that. Filled with dread over her predicament, all Raven could do was keep the sphere up and hope with all her might that she would survive the fall.

…..

Robin was filled with fear as he watched helplessly as both Raven and Iron Mask was engulfed by the flames. He felt however a temporarily relief when he saw a black sphere being hurled out of the fire followed by what looked like a scorched heap of meat. Unfortunately, Robin had no time to watch were they landed as the flames now speeded towards him. Robin ran back and dived into the building Iron Mask had been smashed into earlier mere seconds before the flames rushed past. As soon as the flames had past Robin got back up and half walked half limped out to inspect the damage. Everything around him was scorched black but luckily there had been few things down here that was flammable, most of those that were had already burned themselves out and it seemed like the structural integrity was still intact. Feeling safe that the mine would not collapse Robin began searching for Raven.

"Raven!" he called out but nobody answered him. Robin continued to call out Raven's name, each time with a more desperate voice. He scanned everywhere with his eyes desperately trying to find her. He scanned the place where he had last seen her and then turned his sight to where he had seen her being hurled. Robin got a cold feeling in his heart when he saw that there was a large fissure in that direction. Forgetting all about his injuries Robin rushed as fast as he could to the edge of the fissure, hoping against all odds that Raven had somehow grabbed hold of the edge. But as Robin looked down into the fissure all he saw was a choking darkness that seemed to stretch endlessly downwards. Robin desperately pulled out his communicator from his utility belt.

"Raven! Can you hear me?" Robin pleadingly shouted into the communicator but all he received was static. Robin collapsed on his knees and lowered his head in defeat. Robin clenched his fists together while he felt a combination of sorrow and hatred swell up inside of him. _It cannot be, _Robin thought, _she cannot be gone._ But despite repeating that thought in his head Robin could not undo the horrible truth: Raven was gone. Robin slowly rose to his feet while staring with regretful eyes into the dark abyss and fighting to hold back his tears. Robin's expression then hardened when someone spoke behind him.

"Well, well, well. What do we have here, boys?" a mocking voice said and when Robin turned around he saw ten armed men, all with masks over their heads and grins on their faces.

"Looks like a lost little bird that got its wings clipped!" a short and skinny man with a P90 said.

"What do you say we put it out of its misery?" a big and muscular man with a shotgun asked, getting several "aye" in response. The one at the back of the group seemed to be unarmed and he looked around the mine before speaking.

"What about the boss, should we not look for him?" he asked, causing the one at the front to laugh. He carried an AK 47 and was apparently the leader of the group as the rest of the gang was standing behind him, waiting for him to make the first move.

"Why should we care? Personally I never liked that creepy Frenchman" he responded before turning to Robin again.

"I say we kill the Boy Wonder here, scramble out of here and collect our payment!" he announced to the group, which caused them all to nod their heads in agreement. Robin simply started moving towards them while cracking his knuckles. Finally he had found something to take his anger and frustration out on.

…..

Raven slowly opened her eyes to see where she was, but she saw nothing but darkness. Raven did not know how long she had been unconscious nor where she was now. Everything was quiet and her whole body hurt like someone had used her as a practice dummy for boxing. Raven was still quite groggy and could not remember exactly how she had gotten here, just tiny fragments; she remembered some kind of iron mask, an explosion, a fall and then nothing. Raven tried to move some part of her body but she had no strength in her for it. Deciding that she was too weak and exhausted at the moment to do anything, Raven once again slipped into unconsciousness.

…..

By the time Cyborg got back to Titans Tower it was almost midnight and as he drove closer to the tower he kept mumbling to himself in irritation. Cyborg parked his car in his garage/workshop and walked with heavy steps and with a sour expression on his face towards the elevator. He pressed the button and while waiting for the elevator Cyborg kept brooding on how his fight with Dr Light had turned out. When the elevator arrived Cyborg found Beast boy inside already.

"Hey Cy, how'd things go with Dr Light?" Beast boy exclaimed in a cheerful manner when he saw Cyborg.

"Fine" Cyborg simply responded, not sounding very convincing. Beast boy however would not settle with such an answer and pressed on.

"Come on Cyborg, don't be so boring! Can't you tell me?" Beast boy asked, sounding like a five year old kid whining for candy. Cyborg just sighed before getting in the elevator and pressing the top floor button.

"Alright, I kicked his ass in just a few minutes and handed him over to the police!" Cyborg finally said with a grumpy voice. Beast boy looked at him with a confused face.

"Why so grumpy then?"

"Because as soon as I handed Dr Light over to the cops, they arrested me too!" Cyborg angrily exclaimed while smashing his left hand into the wall, creating a buckle there. Beast boy's eyes widened in surprise by the news.

"No way! Why would they do that?" Beast boy asked with a startled voice.

"I don't know. They never told me but they kept me detained for God knows how long until they released me, blaming it all on some simple misunderstanding!" Cyborg explained with both a sour voice and a sour expression. Beast boy simply stood dumbfounded and now Cyborg was quite eager to change the subject.

"So how did things go down at the docks?" Cyborg asked. Beast boy seemed to lighten up by the chance of telling how his mission went.

"It went well. I totally kicked those raider's asses!" Beast boy proudly announced. But he then got a thoughtful expression.

"But they gave up easier than I expected. Practically ran away as soon as I showed up, forcing me to track them down across half the city" Beast boy said. Cyborg raised his right eyebrow over that but just then the elevator reached the top floor. As both of them got out and started walking towards the living room they met Starfire going in the same direction.

"Friends, I am happy to see you again! How did it go on your missions?" Starfire said when she saw them. Beast boy and Cyborg greeted her back and as the trio walked towards the living room the guys retold how their missions went. After they had told that they asked Starfire how it went for her.

"Well, it was easy to contain most of the escaped prisoners but the criminals Plasmus, Control Freak and Adonis managed to get away. I tried to locate them but I never found any trace of them" Starfire explained and when she mentioned the last part she lowered her head in shame and got a sad tone.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. We'll get them eventually" Cyborg reassured her and put a hand on her right shoulder.

"By the way, has anyone seen Robin or Raven?" Beast boy asked as they walked into the living room. His question was answered when they saw Robin sitting at the computer staring intently at the screen. Starfire immediately brightened up.

"Robin! I am so glad to see you again! How did your mission go?" she cheerfully asked Robin yet he did not answer her, he did not even turn around nor give any sign that he had even registered their presence. Beast boy, Cyborg and Starfire first looked at Robin with questioning expressions and then at each other before walking up to stand next to him. What they directly saw was that Robin had apparently not bothered to change clothes as he was still dressed in a tattered and torn uniform and he was covered in cuts and bruises, but he did not seem to care a bit about that as he just stared intently at the screen with a hard and cold expression on his face.

"Robin? Are you alright?" Starfire worriedly asked, Robin still not answered. The rest of the Titans now looked at the computer screen to see what Robin was so fixated on. On the screen was a picture of an AUG assault rifle along with its serial number and apparently Robin was running a scan on the serial number to determine who manufactured it.

"Dude, what are you doing?" Beast boy finally asked. Robin did still not turn to face his team but at least this time he answered.

"Those men in the mine, they were far too well equipped to be simple criminals. When I interrogated them on how they acquired their weaponry they said that the one that had hired them had supplied them" Robin explained to his team with a cold voice. Cyborg then seemed to notice that something was missing as started looking around the room.

"Hey Robin, where's Raven? Shouldn't she also be here?" he asked Robin. Robin did not answer directly but he tightened his fists and lowered his head slightly. After a while the rest of the team seemed to catch on why Robin was silent as they all got horrified expressions on their faces. Robin voiced the answer the team suspected but did not want to hear.

"She didn't make it" he said in a sorrowful tone. Despite that the team had already guessed the answer, hearing it being said was still shocking and unbelievable.

"No way…" was all Cyborg could say, Beast boy looked like he had seen a ghost and Starfire started openly crying. Robin finally turned around to address his team and when he saw his friend's sorrows it hardened his resolve.

"Raven may be gone, but we will not simply leave her behind in those mines! We will go back and find her, even if all we find is her corpse. At least then we can give her a proper burial" Robin said sternly and the rest of the team nodded their heads in agreement. As they all moved to the door, Cyborg suddenly stopped Robin. Robin looked up at Cyborg and gave him an angry look.

"I'm not staying here! I was there when it happened so if anyone should go it's me!" Robin angrily exclaimed. Cyborg simply stared back with a serious face.

"I know, I was just going to suggest that you should change your clothes before we go" he explained to Robin.

…..

Raven woke up when she felt something dripping on her head, at first she ignored it and tried to fall asleep again but as more drops fell on her she finally opened her eyes. It was still completely dark around her but the pain was mostly gone now and Raven tried to at least sit up, groaning slightly over her sore and stiff body. Raven tried to support herself slightly on her right arm but immediately felt a stabbing pain shooting through her arm and she cried out in pain before collapsing on her side. After lying there for a minute, hissing in pain and trying to recompose herself she tried to sit up again, being careful not to use her right arm. Finally Raven managed to at least get on her knees and she started inspecting her right arm with her left hand, confirming her suspicion that it was broken. Raven desperately looked around for something to light the cavern up but it was so dark around her that when she held her left hand in front of her face she could not even see it. Raven was not afraid of the dark, on the contrary she often preferred darkness over light, but it would be impossible for her to find anything at all in this dark cavern without light. Cursing the situation she was in, Raven tried to stand up on her feet's.

"Great, how am I going to find my way out in this darkness?" Raven muttered to herself. As if in answer to her question, suddenly the whole cavern was flooded with light. Raven instinctively brought both her arms up to fend off any possible attack but immediately regretted it as she felt the bones in her right arm grind against each other and she nearly collapsed again from the pain. Grinding her teeth from the pain, Raven eventually recomposed herself and started inspecting the cavern she was in to locate the source of the light. After a quick survey of her surroundings she discovered two things. Firstly, the light was originating from several globes set into the walls and Raven did not even have to inspect them further to know that they were magical in nature due to how they had activated on their own. Secondly, the cavern was revealed to actually be a massive hall of ancient design. It looked as being of oriental design but it was hard to determine it due to the thick layers of dust covering it all, but one thing that Raven noticed was that there were no doors at all leading out of this hall. Along two of the walls there were seven statues lined up, each one of them seemed to be a fearsome warrior but they all seemed to be from a different culture.

Raven inspected the ones on the left side first and she could easily identify what kind of warrior's they were: a northern Viking clad in chainmail and wolf pelts wielding dual axes, a Greek hoplite in bronze armor wielding a spear in one hand and a round shield in the other, a Japanese samurai in full armor with a katana in his hand, an American indian in loincloth holding a bow in his hands, a Mongol raider in leather clothes holding a sabre in his right hand, a European Templar dressed in the knights hospitaler uniform wielding a two handed broadsword and a French musketeer with a pistol in one hand and a sword in the other. All of them were at least three meters tall and they were all standing battle ready against the statues on the opposite side. When Raven turned her head to look at the other statues she saw that they were identical to the other ones, for what reason Raven could not guess. But then Raven saw that there was someone on the hoplite and as she looked closer she saw an iron mask. Raven immediately backed away in terror and nearly tripped on her cape. _Don't tell me he's here too, _she thought fearfully but when Raven noticed that Iron Mask was neither pursuing her nor moving at all she calmed herself down and looked closer at him. Apparently Iron Mask had not been as lucky in the explosion nor in the fall as he was impaled on the hoplite's spear in the chest, his whole left arm was gone, his right leg was only attached to his body by a few sinews and his whole body was so scorched that it was impossible to determine whether he was wearing burned clothes or if it actually was his skin.

Strangely enough, his mask was still intact apart from the scorch marks on the outside, but Raven did not detect any magical energy from it anymore. It also looked like most of Iron Mask's blood had already flowed out of his body as the hoplite's hand was drenched in it and a large pool of blood had gathered at the base of the statue. Raven could therefore safely assume that Iron Mask was really dead but this time she did not feel any sympathy for his demise. Yet as Raven looked upon Iron Mask's corpse she noticed something about the hoplite's hand, it looked somewhat deformed. Raven started to scrutinize the whole statue a little closer and only now did she see that what had first looked like an exact copy of the statue on the left side was in fact a sick and twisted parody of it. The right statue had the same armor and weapon as the left one and even had the same pose but its face was repulsing to say the least. It had several daemonic attributes such as a pair of small horns in its forehead, an impossibly wide grin that split the face in two and a single eye. Now when Raven looked at the other statues on the right side she saw that they too had strange misshaped faces. What this was meant to represent Raven did not know.

Deciding that standing there and speculate about some statues would not help her current predicament, Raven sat down and tore a bit of her cloak and used it to make a sling for her right arm. As soon as she had finished the sling Raven felt that she needed to calm herself down further and focus her energy on finding some way out. Thus Raven began reciting her mantra and entered a meditative trance to calm her mind down and to formulate a plan on how to get out. Raven began to levitate as she meditated and she closed her eyes, but what she did not notice was that as she kept meditating several arcane symbols on the floor previously concealed by dust were now starting to glow brightly. At first only the symbols closest to Raven glowed but soon more activated, trailing a circle that moved closer and closer to the center of the hall. Eventually the symbol at the center began to glow and now Raven was snapped out of her mediation as she heard the sound of rocks scraping against each other. Raven turned around in surprise and watched in confusion as the floor at the center first sank down and then withdrew to the sides. Raven saw that something was being raised from the hole and she gathered her powers in her left hand which became enveloped in dark energy. Unfortunately, with most of her strength spent already and with her broken arm Raven knew that she had little chance of winning a confrontation at the moment. But Raven relaxed a bit when she saw that what was being raised was simply a golden throne.

Raven noticed that a skeleton was sitting on the throne, apparently some kind of king judging by what was left of its rich and ornate clothing and the golden crown on its head. The skeleton had a sword across its lap which seemed to be magical in nature due to the strange symbols engraved on it but what really caught Raven's eye was a small object clutched in the skeleton's right hand. It looked like a black crystal about the size of a pencil and Raven could not help but feel a little mesmerized by it. Raven could not explain it, but there was something about it that she found fascinating. Raven felt that she needed to have a closer look at it and hardly without thinking it herself, Raven started walking closer to the throne. When Raven stood in front of the skeleton she reached out with her left hand to take the crystal. But it proved to be harder than Raven would have thought as the skeletal fingers clutching the crystal were like steel pincers around it, refusing to bend an inch despite Raven's putting all her strength into prying the hand open. Normally Raven would have simply given up but she would not do it this time because she felt that she must see the crystal closer, that she must hold it in her hands. Putting all her strength into it, Raven pulled with all her might to pry the hand open yet the fingers would not move a bit. _Are you really sure you want it,_ a thought came to her, _you don't even know what it is. Would it not be best to just leave it a move on? _Raven was not sure where that thought had come from, she was not even sure if it was her own thought but Raven would not be deterred.

"Yes, I'm sure! I want it! It's mine!" Raven yelled out in the hall. Raven suddenly looked quite surprised, as if she had just woken from a strange dream. _Did I just say that,_ she thought. Raven was a little confused by her own behavior; she could not understand why she had become so obsessed with the crystal. However, any suspicious thoughts Raven might have had about it quickly vanished when she felt that the skeletal hand's grip on the crystal was loosening. Raven immediately pulled harder to get to the crystal and finally the skeletal fingers broke from the pressure. As Raven took hold of the crystal she thought she almost heard someone say "very well" to her but she cared nothing about it as all her focus was on the object in her had. Raven found the crystal quite fascinating in the fact that somehow it was so black that no light was reflected on it, making it almost look like an elongated black hole. While staring at the crystal and marveling at its beauty Raven began to question her decision to take it in the first place; it had been buried with its owner in one of the most secure and remote places you can imagine, maybe it was meant to be hidden and forgotten, maybe she should leave it behind.

"_Do you really think that?_ _It's just a pretty crystal, why should you not keep it for yourself? It's not like the owner will have any objections_" a voice suddenly said in her head. Raven was not sure where that voice had come from but simply listening to it soothed all her misgivings about it. The voice was right, why should she leave such a beautiful crystal behind? It was hers now. Raven then heard the sound of rocks scraping against each other in front of her and as she looked behind the throne she saw that a section of the wall there had retracted and created an opening for her. Forgetting all about her own concerns and objections about the crystal, Raven put it in her belt and walked towards the exit. As she walked out of the hall the light in it started fading, no longer feeling the need to enlighten its secrets. Soon the hall was once again engulfed by darkness and silence and the mighty statues in it disappeared from view with the last piece of light.

For over an hour after Raven had left all was silent in the hall until a strange sound, like when a knife is pulled from flesh, began to echo in the darkness. The sound continued for several minutes until it abruptly stopped, followed mere seconds later by a thud as something hit the ground. Then it was all quiet for several minutes until a croaking sound was heard, then another and then another until the croaking came from all across the hall. Suddenly the croaking stopped directly, as if someone had shut off all sounds, and soon footsteps echoed in the hall. The echoing in the hall made it difficult to pinpoint where the footsteps were coming from, but the sound began to fade as it headed towards the exit.

* * *

><p><em>Now things are heating up here. I do hope you find the plot interesting now, otherwise its back to the drawing board for me!<em>

_And of course, here's the translations again:_

_Qui l'aurait deviné = who would've guessed_

_Bouleversé = upset_

_Tres bien = very well_

_Respire = breathe_

_Of course, there's also the word 'merde' but it's a French curse that I don't feel like translating._


	6. Chapter 6: Dreams can be very strange

Mining facility

Two hours later

As Robin stood at the edge of the fissure he could not help but feel guilty for what had happened. Even though his friends had assured him that there was nothing he could have done to stop it Robin still felt that Raven's death was his fault. He had already gone through a million different scenarios on how he could have prevented it, but all they did was make Robin feel even guiltier.

"_Robin, this is Cyborg. I have reached the bottom of the fissure" _Cyborg's voice suddenly spoke from Robin's communicator clutched tightly in his left hand. Due to his injuries, which he had insisted on was simply minor ones, Robin had been forced to stay in the mine and coordinate the search while his friends went down in the caves to search for Raven. Robin knew that he would only slow the team down in his condition but it still felt wrong to stay behind. Robin had been here when it happened, he had seen it with his own eyes so he felt that he should be the one searching.

"_Robin? You're still there?" _Cyborg asked with a concerned voice when Robin did not answer at first. Robin snapped out of his brooding and answered in the communicator.

"Yes, I'm still here. What have you got?"

"_I have scanned the whole bottom, but I haven't found any trace of her" _Cyborg responded. Robin became a little thoughtful over that information since he was certain that this was the pit where Raven had fallen into.

"Are you absolutely sure about that?" Robin finally asked a little rougher than he intended into the communicator.

"_Absolutely. If she has been here, she isn't anymore" _Cyborg responded, politely ignoring Robin's rough tone. A thought suddenly struck Robin by Cyborg's statement and he immediately contacted the rest of the team.

"Beast boy, Starfire. Can you hear me?" There were a few seconds of static after that until a voice responded.

"_Yeah, I hear you!" _Beast boy responded.

"_I also_ _hear you_" Starfire confirmed shortly after.

"Have any of you found anything yet?" Robin asked them. Both of them replied that they had found nothing, causing Robin's spirits to be lifted. The Titans had now covered all ground where Raven could be if she was dead and no trace of her had been found, that meant that she had moved. And since corpses cannot move by themselves, that must mean that Raven was still alive.

"Widen your search perimeters and keep your eyes open!" Robin ordered his team. Beast boy made a whining sound but in consideration of this grave situation, he wisely kept any objections to himself. Robin signed off without any further words being spoken. He now felt hope rising. Raven was still alive, he was now certain of it, and they would find her no matter what.

…..

Raven was unsure how long she had wandered in the darkness or where she even where, the tunnels seemed to stretch on forever. After she had exited the hall she had luckily found an old torch and had tried to use a couple of stone pieces to light it up, but since Raven could only use one of her arms she had to rely on her powers to do so. It had proven more straining than Raven could have guessed as she had still not fully recovered her strength from the fight but after what felt like an eternity she had finally managed to light it up. After that it had been easy for her to find her way out of the castle but then her luck had run out completely as she entered the massive cave network surrounding the castle. If there was one thing that network could be called it was a maze and Raven learned that the hard way as she wandered aimlessly through the endless tunnels, passing countless dead ends and crossroads without encountering anything that could point her in the right direction. It was eerily quiet down there and the light from the torch caused the shadows to dance, fooling Raven several times into thinking that there were movements all around here in the shadows. Raven had tried to contact her friends but had discovered to her dismay that her communicator was missing, probably lost during her fall.

What made this situation even more unsettling for Raven was that she could swear someone was following her. Several times she had almost felt eyes drilling into her back from the darkness and heard what she thought were footsteps echoing in the caves. At one point she thought she almost heard what sounded like a croak. Raven also felt something, a feeling in her gut that there was something else down here with her, silently watching her in the darkness. It felt somewhat familiar to her but she was too preoccupied with trying to lose it to pay any heed as to where Raven had felt it before. At several points Raven had turned around to confront whatever it was that seemed to be stalking her, yet every time it would blend back into the choking darkness and the feeling of being watched would subside. But every time Raven gave up and continued her trudging she would soon feel eyes in her back again. Eventually she gave up in trying to confront whatever it was and simply tried to ignore the uneasy feeling of being stalked. Even now as Raven kept walking through the endless tunnels she could faintly feel something behind her in the darkness, but it kept a good distance.

Raven's power had always been controlled by her emotions, growing stronger and more uncontrollable when she felt too much emotion. Therefore, she had long ago learned to detach herself from her emotions but this time it was not working as well as she had hoped. Raven would never admit it, but the darkness surrounding her and the presence following her did much more than just unnerve her; they frightened her, and the last thing anyone would want when having powers such as Raven's would be to feel such a dangerous emotion. Raven of course would not accept the fact that she was truly afraid. Therefore, she kept on walking while constantly repeating the phrase "I am not afraid" in her head. But just because you try to tell yourself that you are not afraid, does it make it true. Thus in this mindset Raven was more cautious than usual, several times even sending black energy blasts into the shadows when she thought she had heard or seen anything there. These panicked and pointless attacks only served to drain her energy even faster.

But as Raven had kept walking aimlessly on, and when she was not jumping at shadows, she found something to distract herself from her fear; she took the opportunity to reflect on her situation. The first thing she started to wonder about was how she had ended up in that hall in the first place. Raven now remembered clearly that she had fallen into a fissure after the fight with Iron Mask, but she had not seen any cracks or holes in the hall's roof so how the hell did she end up there? Raven had also begun to wonder what exactly Iron Mask and his lackeys had been after in the first place. She had at one point suspected that maybe it had something to do with the crystal she had found, judging by how well hidden it had been. Raven had then pulled out the crystal from her belt to examine it further but once again that soothing voice had returned, assuring her that the crystal was harmless. She had naturally believed it despite that her common sense was practically yelling in her head not to and Raven had pushed any further thoughts about the crystal from her mind.

As Raven reached what she thought was the fifth three way junction she first glanced suspiciously down each passage, almost like she was expecting the darkness in them to ambush her as soon as she stepped in. Finally with a heavy sigh she gave up and slumped against one of the walls. Only now when she stopped did Raven notice just how exhausted she really was, apparently still not fully recovered from the fight, not to mention wasting precious energy on blasting shadows. Her right arm had started throbbing with pain again, her eyelids felt heavy and her stomach growled since she had not eaten for more than twelve hours. Now when Raven thought about her situation she saw how hopeless it really was; she had no idea where she was, her communicator was missing, she was starved and exhausted and to top it all of something was stalking her in the darkness. Raven felt depression and hopelessness when she realized that this was probably the end for her, she would die down here in the caves lost and forgotten. She almost felt like crying but even though there was no one down here to see it, save for that thing following her, Raven would not show such weakness. The torch Raven carried had almost burned out by now and its fire would be extinguished in just a few more minutes. Soon the darkness would creep up and engulf her. Raven felt strangely enough her earlier fear subside and only felt one thing; she felt tired, very tired. _Perhaps a little rest will do me good now, _Raven thought, but her rational side protested against such an act since there was still something out there stalking her. _Let it come then, _Raven thought groggily, _if it wants to kill me then it can come and do it now, I don't care. _And with that final thought, Raven drifted into sleep and the torch she had carried clattered to the ground.

But after a while, after the light from the torch had diminished to the point that you could just distinguish Raven's form in the darkness, something stirred in her belt. Soon black tendrils emerged from the part of the belt that held the crystal and started to snake around Raven's body. At that point Raven started to stir from her sleep, but before she even opened her eyes that soothing voice returned to her, calming her and making her fall asleep again without noticing what happened around her. The black tendrils continued to tenderly wrap themselves around her body with great care, like a mother hugging a child. When Raven was almost wrapped up in the dark tendrils they started seeping in through her mouth, nose and ears and even through her wounds, especially the one in her right shoulder. Strangely enough, Raven did not react at all as this went on. In fact, her face seemed to be at ease as if she was having a pleasant dream that she did not want to wake up from yet.

But soon footsteps started to echo in the cave, heading towards the sleeping Raven. After a while a dark silhouette was visible in the ever diminishing torchlight. The figure first just stood and watched Raven's sleeping form as the dark tendrils finished entering her. Its gaze was especially fixated on Raven's wounds, since after the tendrils had entered her wounds they started to close up until there was no trace of them at all. The figure gave a slight chuckle as the torch's final bits of light died out and the whole cave was plunged into darkness. That did not last however as the figure muttered what sounded like a spell and suddenly a torch was ignited in the figure's hand. It reached into its left pocket and pulled out a round metallic object with a "T" symbol on it; Raven's communicator. The figure flipped it open and after pressing a few buttons on it bent down beside Raven and placed it in her left hand on her lap. The figure then retrieved the burnt out torch and placed the newly lighted one beside Raven before, with a final look at Raven and another chuckle, retreated into the shadows. All the while Raven kept on sleeping with a calm and almost happy expression on her face.

…..

With his focus solely on the fissure he stood right next to, Robin was quite startled and nearly fell in when his communicator suddenly started beeping. With a few muttered words, Robin straightened himself and pulled out his communicator from his utility belt. He expected it would be either Cyborg, Starfire or Beast boy reporting back in but when he flipped the communicator open Robin discovered to his surprise that it was actually a signal he was receiving; a distress signal. The signal was coming from inside the cave network and although Robin first had a confused expression on his face, it did not take more than a few seconds for him to figure out who would be sending a distress signal down here. Robin immediately started sprinting towards the cave openings leading deeper into the mine, his body protesting painfully against such sudden and violent movement. Some of his healed wounds even reopened but Robin paid it no mind, instead letting the pain fuel his strength and determination.

"Titans, come in! I have located Raven and are heading there now!" he shouted into his communicator before placing it back in his utility belt, not bothering to check if the Titans were responding to him.

"Hang on Raven, we're coming!" Robin said with a strong conviction in his voice, as if he expected that Raven would hear his words down in the darkness.

…..

The soft breeze blew gently across the field, causing the grass to sway slightly. The sun shone from the blue and cloudless sky, basking the green field below it while birdsongs could be heard. Small splashing sounds could be heard from a stream nearby. In the middle of the field stood a single tree and lying in its shadow was a young girl. She seemed to be no older than seventeen, with pale skin, a red gem in the middle of her forehead and shoulder-length violet-blue hair and she was dressed in a black leotard and a blue cloak with a chain belt around her waist. The girl was lying on the ground with her hands behind her head and looked to be asleep but as another breeze blew in a strange sound could be heard being carried by the wind, almost like a whisper. The girl immediately snapped awake, revealing her violet-blue eyes, sat up and looked around in confusion. But the sudden movement made her a little dizzy, causing her to lie down again while holding her hands over her face. When the girl was certain that the world had stopped spinning in her eyes she managed to slowly stand up.

As she surveyed her surroundings she felt confused, she did not recognize this place. When she tried to remember where she was or how she came here she discovered that she did not remember it. In fact, she could not remember anything at all, including who she was. Panic seized her as she frantically tried to remember something about herself but failed completely. She tried to grab onto something in her memory, but there was nothing she could grab. She started to look around desperately and fearfully, as if she was expecting her memories to sneak up on her when she did not look. The girl tried to remember her own name but nothing came to her.

Breathing heavily, the girl tried to calm herself down but was doing a horrible job at that. Eventually she felt her earlier panic subside, but an uneasy feeling still lingered in her. She once again went through her mind in an attempt to at least remember who she was yet it was still denied to her. The girl sighed heavily and leaned against the tree, trying to come up with something. Deciding that standing there and do nothing would not help her in her current situation, she began to explore a bit. Not that there was much to explore around her since the green fields seemed to stretch on forever, broken only by patches of flowers. Since there was not much else to look at, she walked to the nearby stream and watched in what would appear like fascination as the fishes in the crystal clear water kept swimming around each other in a playful manner. Occasionally one of the fishes would suddenly jump out of the water and into the air, as if it was trying to impress its friends with how high it could jump, before splashing down into the stream again.

As the girl watched the fishes in the stream, heard the beautiful melody the birds were playing and felt the warm breeze gently flow around her she felt all her uneasiness drain away. She started to feel calm and at peace, as if there was not a trouble left for her in the world. She closed her eyes and let all her thoughts and feelings drain away, leaving only behind that peaceful feeling and simply stood at the stream completely ignorant and uncaring of her surroundings. But she was snapped out of her trance like state when a slightly cold gust of wind blew past her. She shivered slightly from it but nearly yelped in surprise when she heard a whisper being carried along by the wind. It said just one word.

"_Raveeeen"_ It sounded rather distant to her yet at the same time it sounded so close. The whisper sounded so soft and weak that if she had not listened closely she would have thought it was simply the wind making strange sounds. Nearly directly after the girl heard the word "raven" something clicked in her mind. That word was important; it meant something that was linked to her. Now she remembered, it was a name for someone; her name. She was Raven. Suddenly, as if someone had broken up the gate that had sealed all her memories away, everything came rushing back into her mind. Raven clutched her head with both hands as her memories practically washed in like a tidal wave in her mind. Even though Raven's mind was nearly overwhelmed by her own memories she could clearly piece everything that had happened earlier today together again; fighting Cinderblock, getting an alarm from the mine, fighting Iron Mask, finding the crystal and get lost in the cave network. But the one question Raven had asked ever since she woke up here was still a mystery to her; where was she?

Raven was so caught up in her own thoughts and memories that she did not even notice her surroundings change. The warm breeze was replaced by a cold wind, the grass withered, dark clouds obscured the sky and the water in the stream drained away. Suddenly a strong wind blew right in Raven's face, causing her to nearly loose her balance. She took a step backwards from it but felt something crunch underneath her shoe. Raven's eyes widened in surprise and she looked down towards the ground slowly and fearfully, partially wanting to see what she had stepped on but also partially not wanting to. When she saw what she had stepped on she gave a loud gasp, because crushed underneath her shoe was a human skull. Raven staggered back in shock, only to feel more crunching sounds underneath her shoes. Even though she already knew what it was she had stepped on, Raven still could not prevent a terrified yelp from leaving her lip as she looked down on the skeletal ribcage she stood on. Raven was truly panic-stricken now but when she finally managed to tear her gaze away from the skeleton she was first shocked and then horrified as she gazed out on what used to be a beautiful paradise, now a barren wasteland littered with thousands of skeletons clutching weapons, and wearing uniforms, of every design. Raven saw a Roman legionnaire, an 18th century British grenadier, a German Waffen-SS officer and hundreds of other soldiers from different nationalities and time periods Raven did not recognize.

"_Raven" _a hoarse and dark voice suddenly said from behind, causing Raven to spin around in shock. But there was nobody there to Raven's surprise. Her eyes narrowed in suspicion as she looked around again, trying to locate the source of the voice. However, at that moment Raven felt something lightly brush against her leg like cold fingers, sending shivers up her spine. When she looked down she felt a sense of dread fill her because the ground beneath her was obscured by pure darkness. It floated past her legs like a black mist, passing through skeletons like a malicious wind. The darkness was as cold as ice water and Raven could not help but feel abhorred by its very presence around her.

"_Raven" _the voice from before spoke again, this time in front of her. Raven's head snapped up directly and she was about to raise her arms in a defensive motion but froze in shock as she watched what was in front of her. All the darkness was converging on a single spot a few meters in front of her and was now forming into a single large mass. Soon the darkness had taken the shape a nearly two meter large humanoid thing enveloped in black robes which slowly fluttered around the creature, as if they were caught in a slower time period than everything around them. Two red glowing eyes stared out from underneath its black hood, staring with all its focus straight into Raven's. Raven found herself frozen in horror and shear panic by those eyes, staring into those eyes was like looking into the deepest pit of hell. The creature started to slowly advance on Raven, moving in a slow and calculating pace but Raven heard no footsteps coming from it nor did she hear any bones crack by being stepped on.

Raven tried to back away from it but none of her muscles would obey her despite that every fiber of her being was desperate to get as far away from the creature as possible. It was as if her mind had been separated from her body and thus unable to control it. She mentally screamed at herself to move but she was so paralyzed with fear that she dared not even blink. She tried to focus and gather her energy to fight but nothing happened. That part came as a surprise to Raven since her powers were controlled by her emotions and judging by how strongly she felt fear now she could tear a whole neighborhood apart. Raven wanted to scream in terror but no sound came out of her throat, all she could do was stare in mute horror as the creature moved ever closer to her. Suddenly the creature spoke to Raven but its tone had become less dark now.

"_Raven, wake up" _the creature said, sounding almost concerned. Raven was first unsure if she had heard right. _Did it just tell me to wake up,_ Raven asked herself in confusion. Raven finally found the will to tear her gaze from the creature and for some reason her fear began to diminish by that. The creature still advanced on her but now it looked less intimidating, it actually looked like it was starting to fade away. Now when Raven thought about it, everything around her was fading, as if a mist was slowly consuming everything. The creature now stood right in front of Raven and slowly reached out with a skeletal hand to her face.

"_Raven, please wake up!" _it said but now its earlier voice was completely gone, the new voice sounded more like a young boy's voice. The voice sounded strong and commanding yet at the same time worried, what really caught Raven's interest about the voice was that she recognized it from somewhere. Raven was unsure of what do to, this was all really confusing for her now, so she closed her eyes and simply stood there waiting for something to happen. Soon she felt a hand gently hold her left cheek but it did not feel like a cold and bony hand, it felt like a warm and gloved hand which caused Raven to slowly open her eyes. At first everything around her was blurry but after a few seconds she could distinguish a face in front of her. For a few seconds Raven was confused over who it was but soon she recognized the black spiky hair and the mask covering his eyes.

"Robin?" Raven asked weakly. Robin just smiled and nodded his head. When Raven looked at her surroundings, she saw that she was still down in the cave network. She was now even more confused over all of this but then suddenly everything became clear to her; she had simply fallen asleep earlier and that weird and scary place she had been in just a few moments earlier had simply been a dream. Feeling certain that this was not another dream, Raven began to push herself up from the floor. But she collapsed again as she felt a stabbing pain in her right arm; she had forgotten that it was broken. Robin was about to move forward and help her but she waved him back since she still had enough pride to want to stand up on her own. Robin seemed to take the hint as he moved back but staying close enough to lend a hand if it was needed. Biting back the pain and inhaling deeply, Raven made another attempt to stand up and after two agonizing minutes she succeeded.

Raven smiled at Robin and started to move towards the exit, or at least where she thought it was, but had barely taken three steps before her legs gave away and she fell. Raven expected to make contact with solid ground but instead felt a pair of arms wrap around her waist before she hit the ground. Robin had apparently anticipated Raven to fall since in the instant she lost balance, he was already in motion to catch her. Raven was now breathing heavily, still quite weak from her exploits. Seeing this, Robin did not bother to ask Raven whether she would rather walk but simply scooped her up in his arms bridal style. Raven was too weak at the moment to object and simply held her left arm around Robin's neck.

"Let's go home" Robin simply said as he walked towards the tunnel that led to the surface, completely ignorant of the fact that someone was standing in the darkness and silently watching them with a mischievous glint in his eyes.

…..

While Robin had walked on with Raven in his arms neither of them had said a word to each other, both of them too caught up in their own thoughts. Finally when they reached the upper levels of the mine where they had faced Iron Mask did Robin break the awkward silence.

"Do you know what happened to Iron Mask?" he asked gently. Raven seemed to have been caught off guard by that question as she first looked at Robin's face with a surprised expression before turning her head away.

"He's dead" was all she said in her usual monotone voice. Robin could feel that Raven did not want to discuss any more on that subject so he did not pry further. After walking for a few more minutes they finally reached the surface. The police force that had been stationed outside had already left hours ago and the only ones outside were Cyborg and Beast boy, both standing beside the T-ship with anxious expressions on their faces. When Robin walked out of the tunnel they both looked at him relieved but when they saw Raven in his arms their faces lit up like a pair of Christmas trees and both rushed over to them. Raven gave Robin an indication that she would rather stand on her own legs so Robin put her down but she still needed to steady herself against Robin. However, she was taken completely by surprise as Beast boy nearly jumped on her, embracing her in a tight hug.

"Raven, you're alive!" he happily exclaimed. Unfortunately, Beast boy did not realize that Raven's right arm was broken as Raven felt Beast boy's hug push the broken bones out of line. Even though Raven tried to ignore the pain, she could not stop herself from crying out in pain. Beast boy immediately let go of Raven, with concern written all over his face. Raven meanwhile collapsed on one of her knees, clutching her right arm.

"What's wrong Rae?" Beast boy asked worriedly. Cyborg took the moment to step forward and help Raven stand back up while also scanning her right arm.

"Your arm's broken" he finally said. Raven simply nodded her head in response.

"Let's get back to the tower" Robin eventually said. The team began to move towards the T-ship, Cyborg supporting Raven along the way. Suddenly Robin stopped and looked around in confusion.

"Hey guys, where's Starfire?" he asked. As if on cue, Robin heard a swooshing sound as something flew out of the mine. Starfire quickly landed beside Robin, clearly out of breathe as she breathed heavily.

"Robin, did you find friend Raven?" she asked once she had gotten the chance to catch her breath. Robin turned to look at Starfire.

"Yes, I did. But she needs medical assistance" he explained to her. Starfire nodded as both of them sprinted to the ship. When everyone had strapped themselves in they took off, heading straight for Jump City. But as the ship flew away, a lone figure walked out of the mine. It watched silently as the T-ship flew away into the first rays of light heralding a new day. The figure chuckled to himself as he stepped fully into the light.

"_Le patron ne sera pas heureux de cette" _Iron Mask said to himself in an amused tone. Suddenly a swarm of crows descended on him, completely obscuring him from view. When the swarm finally dispersed, Iron Mask had disappeared.

* * *

><p><em>I can't come up with anything to say right now so here's the translation:<em>

_Le patron ne sera pas heureux de cette = the boss will not be pleased by this_


	7. Chapter 7: Are you really a Titan?

The T-ship made quick progress back to the city, partially due to Cyborg flying with all haste. Raven had a good guess as to why he was in such a hurry, he was worried for her. Of course, all of her friends had a mixture of relief and anxiousness over them. Raven had always been an empath, thus being able to sense people and their emotions from a distance. Right now, it was pretty hard for her not to notice the strong amount of concern radiating from her friends like beacons. Although Raven found it flattering that they cared so much for her wellbeing, she thought they overreacted to her current state. Of course, she already knew that had anyone of her friends been in the same situation as she was in now, she would have been just as concerned. They were more than just a team, they were a family and family members look after each other and help whenever they can. Still, she could not help but shake her head in partial amusement over how they overreacted since she only had a broken arm and a knife wound in the shoulder.

But as Raven remembered the knife wound, she noticed that it no longer felt any painful nor was it numb. Also, when Cyborg had scanned her right arm, he had not made any remark on a knife wound. Raven had healed it to the point that it had stopped bleeding but it would still be plainly visible, not to mention infected by this time. Reaching with her left hand, she lightly touched where the wound was but had to stifle a gasp when all she felt was smooth skin. Raven could clearly trace the edges of the hole in her clothes from the knife and also feel the surrounding texture had hardened from the blood that had pumped out and later dried up. But the wound itself had mysteriously vanished, there was not a scar left to testify that it had even existed. This worried Raven, what could possibly have healed her without her noticing and also do such an efficient job? But her arm was still broken, so why had this mysterious power only healed her shoulder and not her arm?

However, Raven's chain of thoughts was interrupted by the T-ship docking at Titans Tower. The rest of the team was already exiting their cockpits and Raven did the same, though with more strain than for the others. Starfire was just about to move forward to help Raven but she shot her a cold death glare, warning her to keep her distance because she wanted to do this on her own. Starfire temporarily got a frightened expression before backing away, head bowed in shame, Raven could also feel the rest of the team sending questioning looks at her. Raven kicked herself mentally, why did she have to react so aggressively against Starfire, she had only tried to help, right? But a small thought in her head was whispering to her that Starfire did it because she thought that Raven was weak, that she would always need everybody else's help. For the briefest of moments Raven felt inclined to agree on that note, but soon gathered her senses and pushed such preposterous ideas out of her head. Starfire was simply worried about her, they were after all friends.

"_If you say so_" a voice simply said in her head, clearly having a mocking tone. Raven was startled by the voice and was completely at a loss of words. She tried to figure where the voice had come from but it had passed so quickly that Raven had barely even registered what it had said. Her memory of it was also for some reason growing foggy to the point that she could not even remember what it had said. Finally deciding that it had simply been a figment of her imagination, Raven chose to forget about it entirely. All of this happened in the span it took for Raven to blink, thereby leaving the rest of the Titans completely clueless of Ravens inner debate.

"Alright, we've all had a rough night so everyone go get some rest" Robin declared to the team before walking away.

"If anyone needs me, you know where to look" he said over his shoulder before he walked out of the hangar and the door closed behind him. Everyone of them either gave a heavy sigh or shaked their heads in resignation because they all knew what he had meant. Following his usual pattern of obsession with crime fighting, Robin would lock himself up in his study for hours. Either he would be brooding on whatever information he had or he would be digging up all the information that he could get his hands on. But they all knew better than to try and stop him when he was in this kind of mood, he was like a bull seeing red in these situations. As for Raven, she now felt that after the events in the mine she really needed some peaceful meditation and a cup of herbal tea. So with her goal set up, she started heading towards the living room in a slow pace. But she had not even reached the door out of the hangar before she found her way blocked by a large, metallic body.

"Where do you think you're going?" Cyborg asked, sounding like a parent who had caught his children sneaking out after curfew while crossing his arms over his chest. Raven raised an eyebrow at him.

"I'm going to make some herbal tea" Raven answered with her usual monotone voice but giving Cyborg a look that said 'is there a reason I should not?'. Cyborg still blocked her path and kept up an appearance that was so painfully similar to an authoritarian parent.

"Oh no you don't. You're going straight to the infirmary so that I can take care of your arm!" he replied sharply. Raven was somewhat taken aback by his response. Sure, she had expected that he would want to treat her arm, but for him to order her like a child was something she neither expected nor relished. Even though she knew that he meant well, she could not help but feel her anger flaring up when he bossed her around like that. Raven opened her mouth to protest against it but Cyborg simply gave her a look that said it all; it was not up for negotiation. Oh, how Raven now wished she could just slam him through the nearest wall before ripping off an arm or two. _Wait, did I just fantasize about hurting my friend, _Raven thought shockingly. First Starfire and know Cyborg, why was she suddenly so hostile towards her friends? She made a mental note to herself that she would need to consult with her emotions on this topic. All of this once again lasted for but a few seconds meaning Cyborg was completely ignorant of the turmoil in Raven's mind, or at least that was what Raven hoped. The two of them kept their gazes locked with each other a little while longer but finally Raven relented. Averting her eyes and sinking her shoulders in defeat, Raven let herself be guided by Cyborg all the way to the infirmary.

When they finally reached it, Cyborg instructed Raven to sit on one of the beds there. He went over to one of the cabinets to gather some supplies, leaving Raven alone for a few minutes with her thoughts. She tried to think of some logical explanation to why she seemed to be actively searching for reasons to be angry at her friends, but there was none. Raven was brought out of her thoughts by Cyborg appearing at her side and removing the torn piece of her cloak Raven had used as a sling. After that he started to gently probe her arm with his large hands. When reaching to about the middle of Raven's upper arm, she involuntarily tried to pull her arm away as she felt a small stinging pain. Cyborg continued to examine the area and this time Raven managed to keep her arm still, though she could not stop herself from twitching a little from the pain. Cyborg looked up from Raven's arm to look her in the eyes.

"The bones are out of line. If your arm is to properly heal I need to push them back. It will be painful but there's no alternative" Cyborg explained to Raven with the most serious voice he could muster, though he could not prevent a slightly apologetic tone from slipping in when he said the last part. Raven simply nodded her head while clutching the edge of the bed tightly with her free hand. Raven took a few deep breaths before focusing her gaze straight ahead. Cyborg took that as his cue and firmly grasped her shoulder with one hand and used the other one to hold where the arm was broken and pushed. Pain immediately flared up and Raven instinctively tried to yank her arm away but Cyborg was easily the strongest of the team when it came to raw strength. So with his firm grasp on her arm she could not move it an inch. Raven was however thankful that she at least had enough self-control to suppress her powers, otherwise there probably would have been little left of Cyborg by now.

The ordeal did not last longer than ten seconds but Raven hoped that she would never have to experience it again. But when considering the lifestyle Raven had, she doubted that her wish would be granted. Raven was now shaking slightly from the pain and breathing heavily, so Cyborg quickly procured a new sling for her arm before helping her lie down on the bed. Raven had by this time given up on protesting against her friends helping her with nearly everything. She expected that Cyborg would tell her to rest before exiting the infirmary to go and either have the traditional argument with Beast boy about what to eat or to work on his car. To her surprise though, Cyborg did none of those things but instead remained at Raven's side with his arms crossed over his chest and with an aura of uncertainty around himself, apparently he had something he wanted to say but did not know how to initiate the discussion. Raven decided to spare Cyborg the trouble.

"Is there something you want to ask?" Raven questioned, curiosity slightly leaking into her voice. Cyborg now looked somewhat hesitant, obviously wondering if it very wise to ask whatever question he had.

"Are you alright?" Cyborg finally asked, beating himself mentally directly afterwards for how stupid his question sounded while looking quite sheepish. Nevertheless, there was something important he wanted to know and that was the best thing he could ask to find out. However, the answer to that question was a tender spot for Raven. Physically, she was absolutely fine, save for her broken arm and exhaustion. Emotionally, not so much as you would hope. Her mind was still in turmoil over her sudden antagonism against her friends. Still, Raven did not feel like revealing that to her friends, I mean how do you explain to your friend that you at one point fantasized about ripping him apart? Had it been Beast boy it would have been easier to explain, everyone would just assume that it was the usual empty threats she made when he would irritate her with his endless pranks and jokes which were anything but amusing. But this was Cyborg; he was like a big brother to her, and not one to be fooled easily as Raven would discover.

"I'm fine" she eventually responded, fighting with all her might to keep any emotions from her voice. Upon hearing her answer Cyborg's earlier sheepishness disappeared and was replaced by determination and more concern; determination over the fact that he knew that Raven was lying, concern since it meant that there was something that obviously Raven did not want anyone to know. Raven visibly cringed when she saw Cyborg's expression, he had seen right through her.

"Raven, I saw the look on your face when I stopped you in the hangar. For a moment there I thought you were going to attack me" Cyborg stated with a hard voice. Raven's eyes widened when she heard that, he _had _noticed that part after all. She averted her gaze from his while doing all she could to keep any emotions from surfacing, now was not a good time to risk losing control. This was a most precarious situation for Raven since she was hesitant to tell the truth. But lying would probably not work here, he would undoubtedly see right through it, so that only left telling the truth as an option. Cyborg was quick to notice Raven's hesitancy and his expression softened.

"Raven, I just wanna know if there's anything I can help with" Cyborg said, concern written all over him. Raven finally managed to gather enough courage to make eye contact with him again. By now Raven realized that there was no other alternative; she had to tell the truth. She was about to begin talking when both of their communicators started beeping, or rather Raven's communicator and Cyborg's arm started beeping, before Robin's voice spoke through them.

"_Team, meet me in the living room_" was all he said before the transmission ended. Raven mentally sighed in relief and relaxed slightly, though she was careful to keep up her emotionless façade on the outside. Cyborg meanwhile was momentarily confused but simply shrugged his shoulder, figuring Robin had a reason to call on all of them, and started moving towards the door. But he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw that Raven was trying to get up from the bed.

"Just what do you think you're doing?" Cyborg asked with, in Raven's opinion at least, an exaggerative shocked voice, although Raven suspected that he did that on purpose. Raven simply stared at him with a face devoid of any emotions, the kind that everyone was used to seeing, before responding.

"Robin said he wanted the whole team assembled" she explained. Cyborg simply shook his head before resuming that serious attitude again.

"Forget it Raven, you're staying right here and rest up" Cyborg said, once again giving Raven that 'this is not up for negotiation' look. At this, Raven fumed, though she was thankful that this time no thoughts of dismembering her friend came up. Cyborg could clearly see that his patient was not going to be very cooperative on this.

"Look Raven, you're staying here even if I have to sedate you and tie you to the bed! And don't think I won't" Cyborg said in the most extreme authoritarian voice he could muster. Raven way of responding was by sending him an icy glare that seemed to lower the temperature in the room by 10 degrees. To an outsider it would appear that those two were about to engage in mortal combat, but the truth was that all seriousness in the argument was dropped right after Cyborg's 'threat'; this was now simply the usual banter between two old friends. Raven may appear to be angry on the outside, but on the inside she was smiling over Cyborg's childish threat. Even though Raven knew that he was probably joking, when she looked on his face she was actually uncertain whether he had actually meant it or not. Not feeling like testing if he was serious or not, Raven relented and lay back on the bed. As soon as he was certain that Raven would comply, Cyborg dropped his serious attitude and gave her a warm smile.

"Don't worry, we got it all covered. I'll check up on you in a few hours" he said before exiting the infirmary. Raven could not help but smile over what Raven thought as Cyborg's overprotectiveness. But Raven was still somewhat grateful that he had made her stay, though she would never admit it to him, since this gave her some peace and quiet. It would have been perfect if only she had some herbal tea. A thought suddenly struck her, almost as if someone had whispered it in her ear; she still carried that crystal from the castle. Frantically reaching for it in her belt, she pulled it out and brought it in front of her face to marvel over its beauty.

It was cold to the touch but in contrast to its icy exterior, Raven felt warmth flush through her body by just holding it. Having it close to herself brought peace and tranquility. With the crystal clutched tightly in her hand, Raven somehow drifted off into sleep.

…..

Entering his private study, Robin immediately set to work in the usual manner; searching for all the information he could gather from the computer. The room was dark, only having one lamp in it which hung right over the only piece of furniture; a desk covered by all kinds of gadgets and papers and a computer. The walls were adorned with newsletter clips about all the crimes that had transpired in the past. This is where Robin always retreat to after either encountering a villain they could not defeat or when he gains a new lead in a case. The rest of the team rarely enters this room, finding its very nature unnerving. Even Raven, who has often been labeled as the 'dark goth chick', is hesitant to spend time there. This suits Robin just fine since he prefers to be left alone when dealing with these matters.

The first thing that came to Robins mind was how well timed all the attacks had been; the raid in the docks, the outbreak from the prison and the bank robbery in downtown. Considering these facts along with what transpired in the mine, Robin could only draw one conclusion; those had all been diversions to prevent the Titans from responding to the mine incident in full force. But what could possibly exist in a simple mine to provoke such careful planning and manipulation?

Fortunately, Robin had two lead to follow, his opponents had been kind enough to provide them. First, the advanced weaponry they had carried which at least could point out who the bought them from. Second, the name of the one leading the operation; Iron Mask.

Robin of course made a thorough investigation to find out who Iron Mask was, or rather had been. Finding information on him was not difficult; within the US he had apparently made himself quite a reputation as he was second on the NSA, the CIA and the FBI most wanted list, wanted on the charges of active terrorism, weapons and drug smuggling, blackmailing, murdering a Californian senator, involvements with extremist organizations such as Ku Klux, kidnapping and subsequent execution of a judge's family, stealing military weapons for the mob and blowing up a hospital in Washington DC. But he was also known globally, with INTERPOL having made a "shoot on sight" warrant on him to every available police organization in the world. Iron Mask was also banned in the European Union on accounts of being linked to certain criminal organizations, not that it seemed to stop him in the slightest from coming and going as he pleased, and he was being targeted by the Yakuza for murdering their leader and his entire family five years ago.

Strangely enough, no information existed on his early life; no family, no childhood, no birthplace, no name, no other alias. No past. He just came out of the blue ten years ago, quickly carving himself a name in the criminal underworld. The only piece of information on his past that existed was that he clearly was French. While scanning the information, Robin could only think of one thing; this was one sick bastard. However, there were also huge amount of information depicting his mercenary career. Apparently Iron Mask was not some power hungry maniac who sought to gain power, he was simply a mercenary for hire, a hitman. He had no other agenda than to sell his services to the highest bidder and then completing whatever task was given to him, no matter how insane or morally wrong it was. Robin felt truly disgusted by such a man who not only pillaged and murdered for money, but who also seemed to be enjoying it. Still, the fact that Iron Mask was involved meant that there was someone else pulling the strings, someone with enough money and influence to be able to recruit such a dangerous and unpredictable mercenary.

A thought struck Robin and he glanced to the left wall. The news clips on that wall were all connected to one particular criminal and in the center of the wall hang a mask that never failed to send chills down the Teen Titans back's. The right half of it was colored black while the left half was colored orange and there was only one eye slit located on the left side. Seeing that mask always brought out a fierce hatred towards the vile man it belonged to. Everytime Robin looked upon that mask, he practically expected to hear a cryptic threat or a mocking commentary from it.

"Could _he _be involved in this?" Robin spoke out loud, as if the shadows in the room might hold the answers. It was a possibility, he had access to nearly limitless resources and was always manipulating others to do his dirty work. But Robin was not about to jump to conclusions just yet, not until he had evidence. As if on cue, a beeping sound came from the computer, followed by a new page of information being brought up on the screen. Robin tore his eyes from the mask on the wall and quickly scanned the new information. It was the result of the scanning Robin had done earlier on the serial numbers on a weapon. It had now found a match. Robin was partially disappointed when it showed that it did not belong to who he had first thought, Robin had hoped that he would get a chance to finally send him to jail. But Robin smirked somewhat when he discovered that it was still someone he had heard of. Snatching up his communicator, Robin set it to contact the whole team before addressing them.

"Team, meet me in the living room" was all he said before signing off and headed towards the living room himself. Upon arriving in the living room, Robin found that Beast boy was already present. Mere moments later Starfire arrived, followed by Cyborg. Robin waited for a few more moments, apparently expecting a fifth person to arrive. When that did not happen, Robin turned to Cyborg.

"Where's Raven?" he asked Cyborg.

"I insisted that she stayed in the infirmary to rest up. She probably needed it" Cyborg replied. A smirk now appeared on Robins face.

"Did you tie her down to make her see your point of view?" Robin asked with a playful tone. Cyborg smirked back.

"No, I did not" Cyborg said with a similar tone. Beast boy, who had caught on the discussion, put on a feigned chock.

"So you drugged her, didn't you!" he burst out in the most serious tone he could muster on the spot, which considering his goofy attitude was not very convincing but highly comical. Cyborg simply shook his head, still having a smirk on his face.

"If you really need to know, I had to threaten her with tying her up to make her cooperate" Cyborg said while looking at Beast boy. Suddenly his features turned grave and he turned back to Robin.

"So what was it you wanted?" he asked. Robin also now lost his smirk before walking towards the computer. Pressing a few buttons on the keyboard, he brought up an image of Iron Mask.

"This is, or rather was the one leading the attack on the mine. His name is Iron Mask, a psychopath who's reputation as a ruthless mercenary spans across several continents. Little is known about his past, other than he was from France" Robin explained to his team, who had now gathered in the couch and was listening intently to what Robin said.

"Also, Raven was able to detect that he apparently was able to use some sort of magic, and we also got to experience it first-hand" Robin continued.

"What kind of magic exactly?" Cyborg asked. Robin looked a little uncertain by that question.

"I have no idea. Raven is the expert in that field, not me. All I can say is that it involves controlling crows" Robin said, sounding almost a little shameful. He never liked it when there was information relative to the case that he did not know. The Titans faces clearly showed the confusion they had.

"Dude, controlling crows? What kind of lame power is that?" Beast boy burst out while jumping up from his sitting position. Robin fixed Beast boy with a glare, causing him to shrink back in his place while toying with his fingers.

"The kind that involves calling forth an infinite amount of crows before using them to either shield himself or to swarm his opponents with them and have them eat that unfortunate person alive, which he actually did to three SWAT teams and nearly did to me and Raven" Robin explained coldly to Beast boy. The team visible paled and shivered slightly as their minds created scenarios where they found themselves buried in a living carpet of crows before being devoured, even Cyborg who obviously would not have to worry about such a scenario. Seeing that the team had no further question, Robin moved on.

"However, we can count him out the picture; he was caught in an acetylene explosion in the mine before being hurled into a fissure. Raven has confirmed that he did not survive the ordeal" Robin said. The emotions felt by the team by those news were conflicting; they were unsure whether they should feel sad that a person died on their watch or relieved that they would not have to face that guy.

"But as I said before, Iron Mask was simply a mercenary. He never made any other plans then to sell his services to the highest bidder. That means there is someone else pulling the strings behind the scenes" Robin continued. That caught the interest of the whole team as they all perked up.

"Do we have any leads on who that could be?" Cyborg asked, his curiosity now reaching high levels. Robin gave his team a cocky smile.

"As a matter of fact; we do" Robin answered before pressing a few buttons on the keyboard. The picture of Iron Mask disappeared and another picture emerged. It depicted a middle aged man wearing a pair of sunglasses. The man had white hair, a clean shaven face and a long and crooked nose.

"This is Alexander Cole, CEO of Cole Industries. He was born with a rare eye disease, rendering him blind. His company is known for specializing in advanced weaponry, supplying the US army with state of the art weapons. So far only LexCorp and Wayne Enterprises have been able to surpass Cole Industries" Robin explained. The team was not overly familiar with Alexander Cole himself but they knew about his company.

"However, it has long been speculated that Alexander is secretly selling weapons to several warring countries, both legally and illegally. But so far nobody has been able to find any proof and due to his strong connections to the army and several high-ranking politicians, the government has been unable to press any charges against him" Robin continued. He pressed another set of buttons and a small picture of an AUG Assault rifle popped up next to the picture of Alexander.

"I did a scan earlier on one of the weapons the criminals had been equipped with. The scan has now confirmed that it originates from Cole Industries" Robin concluded to his team. Seeing that Robin had now told them everything, Cyborg took the opportunity to raise a question.

"Aren't you jumping to conclusions now? Just because the weapons where manufactured by Cole Industries does it means they're involved. Those thugs could have bought them from any gunstore or even the black market" the reason Cyborg asked was because they all knew how obsessive and 'crazy' Robin could become in these situations. And the last thing that was needed would be the news of a Teen Titan beating up a wealthy CEO appearing in every newspaper and news channel in the country. Beast boy and Starfire both looked a little nervous; both of them remembered the last time Robin lost it in his hunt for a criminal. Obviously they feared it would happen again. Robin could clearly see the nervousness in his team and he did not even have to ask why. Not that he could blame them of course, last time their friendship had nearly been undone by his obsession.

"I never said I believed Alexander was directly involved in this. But his company is the only lead we got so far. We'll just check up if they know who it was that bought them" Robin explained to his team, trying to dispel any uncertainties and assure them that he would not lose it again. That visibly relaxed the team and they all stood up.

"Well, what are we waiting for?" Beast boy asked.

…..

He then bent down and reached for Raven's throat with his left hand. But just then Raven suddenly sprang up and punched Iron Mask in the chest. Raven also channeled her powers into the punch, giving it extra strength, and Iron Mask was hurled several yards back, dropping his knife in the process, and with a bone-shattering crunch he smashed into the cavern wall before collapsing in a heap of limbs. Raven stood there and stared at Iron Mask, her chest heaving from adrenaline, while her eyes glowed white.

"For the record; the name's Raven!" she snarled at him. Raven expected Iron Mask to whimper in pain or to be unconscious, but to her surprise he just started to laugh again. Then he just stood up, as if he had simply been taking a nap, and brushed of his sleeves before starting to walk towards Raven again.

"Raven, you say? _Enchanté_ to make your _connaissance_" he said while picking up his knife with his left hand from the ground, and then he lounged for her. He swung his knife for her head but she brought up her right hand and formed a small barrier that deflected the blow. But suddenly a thought rushed into her head; this seemed familiar to her.

"_The knife swing is merely a feint! Dive to your right!" _a voice yelled in her head. Reacting by mere instincts than actual thought Raven dived to the right, barely avoiding Iron Mask's grasping hand. Landing on her right shoulder and quickly rolling back up on her feet, Raven once again faced off against Iron Mask who seemed surprise that she managed to avoid him. But that surprise did not last long as he once again sprung forward, aiming a punch at her stomach. Raven formed a small barrier which caught the punch before thrusting her hand forward, causing a black talon to materialize and launching it at Iron Mask's head. Iron Mask then did a backflip, narrowly avoiding the talon and also bending his back to the point that it nearly snapped.

Taken off guard by that move, Raven was unable to avoid Iron Mask's boots as they came up from the ground and straight into her lower jawbone. Raven was sent sprawling on the ground while Iron Mask simply flipped back up on his feet, pulled out a another knife from behind his back and came rushing at her again, a knife now in each hand. Raven suddenly enveloped the knives in dark energy and twisted them out of Iron Mask's grip before sending a dark energy blast into his gut, sending him stumbling back. Raven took the moment to stand back up and Iron Mask was quick to recover. Raven was quite unsure of how she had managed to avoid Iron Mask's attacks so easily, it was almost as if she knew what he would do before he even made the move. Still, if it helped in defeating this psychopath, Raven was not about to question her good fortune.

"You're _bien_, I'll give you that. But I…" Iron Mask said while holding his left arm out from his side.

"_Now's your chance! Strike now while you still can!"_ the voice once again shouted in her head and once again she reacted on instincts than by any thoughts on her side. Iron Mask made a cutting motion with his hand and suddenly he held a card in his hand.

"I'm magi…" he began but never got to finish that sentence as he found himself impaled on five dark tendrils originating from Ravens outstretched fingertips. At that moment time seemed to come to a stop for the two combatants, both of them taken off guard by Raven's attack. Iron Mask seemed surprise that Raven went that far in their fight, though it was hard to determine it due to the iron mask hiding his entire head. Raven's features on the other hand you could see plainly, and they practically yelled panic and complete horror-stricken confusion; her mouth hanging open and her eyes wide open. She was shocked to the core over what she had just done.

In all her time with the Titans, she had never ever had to kill someone. Sure she had killed her father barely a year ago when he invaded Earth but he would have destroyed the whole universe if she had not done it. Besides, he was a daemon, he was not a living human being; at least that is how she tries to justify it all. But this was different, he was neither a daemon nor some unholy or undead creature; he was a living, breathing human. Nothing could justify Raven murdering a human, no matter how corrupt or evil they may be.

"_Why do you feel so sorry?" _the voice asked her, having a soothing yet poisonous tone that sounds just like how a snake would sound if it could speak.

"_Because it is against everything we stand for to take a life" _Raven responded mentally to the voice. There was a dramatic pause before the voice continued.

"_You mean that's against everything the Titans stand for, yes?" _the voice asked amused. Raven did not like where this small discussion was headed but for some reason she could not stop herself from continuing the debate.

"_Yes, but I am a part of that team"_ Raven answered. To this the voice began to chuckle, which agitated Raven quite a bit since she had not found anything amusing in her answer. Eventually the voice asked another question.

"_Part of the team? Raven my dear, do you actually think you belong with them?" _the question caught Raven by surprise and for a moment she was unsure on how to respond.

"_Of course I belong with them, they're my friends" _she finally said. She was about to add 'why shouldn't I' but decided against it, not a good idea to give the voice further reason to keep this discussion going. However, it seemed that the voice had guessed what she was about to say before stopping herself.

"_Didn't you tell me earlier that a Teen Titan does not kill?_" the voice asked with feigned curiosity. Raven did not like that tone one bit but once again she found herself unable to simply ignore it.

"_Yes" _was all she could say to the voice. Even though it was simply a voice in her head, Raven could practically feel it smile at her now.

"_Then I would say that your membership has expired now. And I believe that corpse in front of you agrees with me…. Or at least would if he was able to" _the voice said. Raven's thoughts were immediately brought back to her surroundings, especially Iron Mask's corpse which was still impaled on Raven's dark energy. Raven could not stop herself from letting out a gasp, she had completely forgotten what she had just done. She finally dispelled the dark energy and watched guiltily as the body slumped to the ground. The voice's mocking laughter echoed in her mind.

"_Had you already forgotten about your first kill? And so soon after the deed was done? My, my, aren't we cold-hearted here?" _the voice mockingly asked. Raven meanwhile could not find the strength anymore to argue with the voice, she just stood there and stared with unbelieving eyes at Iron Mask's corpse. Not that it seemed to deter the voice from continuing the now one-way discussion.

"_Striking down a living being when you could have just as easily knocked him out, and then not five minutes later you have completely forgotten about the kill. Now that's the markings of a cold-hearted killer" _the voice rambled on. Raven did not even try to speak up in her own defense the whole time. After all, she surmised, why deny the truth? But the next thing the voice said got a reaction from Raven.

"_The markings of a true daemon"_ the voice concluded. That set Raven off as anger quickly started boiling in her, though she was careful to keep it under control. If there was one thing Raven disliked, it was when people referred to her as a daemon. Sure, she was part daemon, that she could not deny, but she was also part human. A fact that many in the past seemed to either forget or ignore.

"I am not a daemon!" she snarled at the voice, not bothering to speak in her head but rather spoke out with her mouth.

"Yet you act like one" said a voice to her right. Raven froze in fear for a few moments, for she recognized that voice. Slowly turning her head in the direction of the voice, she soon stared into the mask that Robin wore over his eyes. She was surprised to see him in this place, but what really chocked her was what he had just said to her. Of all the people in the world, Raven had thought that Robin would understand her. But now he stood there, as cold as ice, and bored into her with his hardest glare.

"You killed a human being, Raven. A Teen Titan does not kill, not even to save his or her own life" Robin said, having an emotionless voice that easily rivaled Raven's usual one. Raven is usually not easy to frighten or intimidate but now, under Robins stone-hard glare, she could not help but take a few fearful steps back. She desperately used her powers to sense his emotions, hoping to find some merciful part for her, but all she found was a void towards her; no sympathy, no remorse and no understanding.

"I thought you were a Teen Titan, a friend. But now I see that you are nothing but a daemon" Robin calmly explained to her, talking to her like she was just another criminal. To Raven, it felt like Robin had taken a thousand knives and shredded her heart. Her knees trembling and her voice not working, Raven felt like she was caught in a whirlwind as emotion after emotion swept through her like a hurricane; surprise, chock, panic, sadness, confusion, despair, betrayal. Finally one emotion settled in her body, burning with a fiercer intensity than the sun but holding a darker intention than the night; hatred.

Raven's power now swirled around her like a black maelstrom, growing fiercer with each passing moment. Staring with her now red glowing eyes at Robin, who now had dropped his earlier emotionless façade in favour of a terrified expression, Raven let all her anger and hatred towards Robin flow through her body and fuel her power.

"I AM NOT!" Raven roared with all her might, letting all her power explode like a tidal wave and engulfing everything around her. The last things she heard was Robin's scream of terror and a psychotic laughter in the distance.

Raven suddenly snapped her eyes wide open and bolted upright in the bed she was lying on, pain slightly appearing in her broken arm from the sudden movement. Her body drenched in sweat and breathing heavily, Raven stared with wide eyes at her surroundings. It took her a few moments to register that she was in the Titans infirmary. Seeing where she was, and this time not forgetting earlier events, Raven let out a relieved breath;a dream, it was all a dream again. But despite knowing that none of it had been real, she still felt despair settle in her mind when she thought of the dream. She slowly lay back down on the bed, clutching the black crystal in her left hand.

"I'm not" she softly whispered to herself, a single tear streaking down her left chin. For the briefest of moments, something flashed across the surface of the crystal. If one where to look closely at the crystal at that moment, one would have seen a pair of baleful eyes staring maliciously from it.

…..

At the same time, down at the docks in an abandoned warehouse, Iron Mask sat in a lotus position in a circle made off strange arcane symbols. The room was bare of any furniture and the wooden material it was made of was damp and moldy, it was an old warehouse and had not been used for several decades. The only thing sparing it from demolition was that it was secluded in a remote part in the outskirts of town that anyone who had a legal job wisely avoided. The place was dark, the only illumination provided were the burning candles scattered across the place.

But in contrast to his gloomy surroundings, Iron Mask was very pleased with himself. His theory had just been confirmed; his and Raven's minds where still connected to each other due to his spell, a theory he had never tested before. Sure, he had used the spell several times but he had never allowed his victim to live long enough to test if it had a lasting bond effect. He had tested its capacities by invading Raven's dreams and making her re-live their confrontation, though he was careful to alter it so that Raven would win this time; no need to further taunt her with her defeat or arouse suspicion about his involvement. However, he had not expected the dream to take such an explosive turn of events. But he already knew where those last parts of the dream had originated from and it honestly did not set his plans back. On the contrary, it actually speeded them up. With himself eroding Raven's defenses from the outside and with the crystal poisoning her very thoughts, it would only be a matter of time before Iron Mask's plans were successful.

Of course, now he had to report back to his 'boss'. The idiot probably waited for him to come and grovel at his feet like a loyal pet. The very thought made Iron Mask growl in anger, how he so wished he could just shove a knife up that arrogant pups ass and then let his crows devour him alive. Patience, he reminded himself. No matter how much he disliked it, he would have to endure that pompous bastard and his narrow-minded 'masterplan'. Soon enough, he would show him who held all the real power. But for now, he needed to come up with an excuse for his apparent failure in the mine, while also coming up with a fake plan to retrieve the crystal.

Iron Mask quivered with delight over what the future would bring for this world. Of course he knew that Raven would try to stop the glorious future Iron Mask had envisioned from happening. But no matter how hard or how long she would fight the darkness, it would eventually consume her. In fact, darkness had already seeped into her life, she was just too enthralled by it to see its true face.

* * *

><p><em>I figure that since the French words used in this chapter are the same as before, I don't need to translate them for you. I do hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it.<em>


	8. Chapter 8: A storm is coming

Titans Tower

Five days later

When Beast boy had asked 'what are we waiting for', he soon received an irritating answer to that; book a meeting with Alexander. It turned out he was a very busy man these days and apparently did not have time to clear a space in his schedule for a bunch of teenagers, even when said teenagers where famous superheroes and local celebrities. So in light of these setbacks, Robin had begun the painstaking and gruesome slow project of arranging a meeting with Alexander. That meant he was forced to sit hours on end at the computer, making dozens of calls. Needless to say, he was quite on edge.

Cyborg provided some assistance in this matter but Beast boy's and Starfire's help was not requested, both of them lacked the necessary knowledge in this field. As such, they tried to be of some other help such as cooking, which often in the end resulted in either Cyborg or Robin ordering take-away, and generally keeping the place tidy, or rather Starfire often tried to do the last thing with Beast boy always slinking away. Apart from these events, life in Titan's Tower went on as usual for the team, except for one pale skinned member.

Raven had made a remarkably speedy recovery, which came as no surprise due to her healing abilities, and she could leave the infirmary after only two days. Robin had wasted no time in assigning her a training program to rebuild the weakened muscles in her arm, though some might argue that the 'rehabilitation training' that Robin had made more resembled a military training program. Raven of course protested against it, but Robin was adamant. But what Robin never suspected was that Raven had merely resisted for appearance sake. In truth, she was relieved when Robin gave her the training program because it gave her an excuse to avoid her friends.

Physically she was recovered, but mentally she was far from fine. She was still haunted by that dream in the infirmary, despite her best efforts to ignore or even better forget it. Each time she tried to forget it was like a recorder went on in her head, replaying the voice's taunts of how she forgot that she killed Iron Mask. The dream was like a splinter lodged in her brain that dug its way deeper into her mind. Raven tried to ignore it when she was with her friends, but every time she looked on Robins face she saw only that cold and judging one from her dream. So Raven took every opportunity she could to be alone, doing everything in her power to ease these burdens. She just hoped that she could get this sorted out before any of her friends noticed. Unfortunately, one of them had already noticed.

Robin was always quick to pick up changes in those around him, probably due to his tutoring from the Dark Knight, and he soon noticed the difference in Raven. It was not unusual for Raven to be somewhat cold and withdrawn, her powers made it practically impossible for her to socialize in a very friendly way, but now she was even more than usual. Robin also noticed that she was quite tense around him and always tried to avoid eye contact with him. What really worried him was when he had walked past her room one day and he could have sworn he heard her converse with someone. The strange part about it was that he had known for a fact that all the others where in the living room and he had only heard Raven's voice. He had confronted her with this at a later time, asking in a casual manner so as to not make it sound like an interrogation. Raven of course had denied it, saying that Robin must have heard wrong.

But Robin knew that she was lying, which worried him since Raven would not lie unless it was something important or dangerous. Unfortunately, he was already too occupied with arranging a meeting with Alexander to pry any further in Raven, not that he expected he would receive a better answer when considering Raven's stubborn nature. There was also one small detail that Robin had noticed about Raven; it looked as if she was carrying something important with her since either she seemed to be tightly clutching something in her hand or she would often be slapping slightly on her chain belt, as if she was checking that whatever was in the belt was still there.

But with everything that went on, Robin had no time to find out what was troubling Raven. Besides, Robin surmised that whatever it was, it was not an urgent matter so he could deal with it when this current case was done. It was a decision he would come to regret eventually.

…..

The alarms where blaring across the tower while red light was blinking in beat with the alarm. The sudden noise caused Raven, who had been hovering a few feet of the ground in her room in a lotus position, to lose focus and fall onto the floor on her ass. Muttering a few curses under her breath, Raven stood back up and walked out of her room. Normally she would have simply teleported to the living room but these days her emotions where in turmoil, too many thoughts and worries swirling in her head. Although she had been spared from having another one of those horrible dreams, she still heard that voice in her head. One would think that after that horrid dream, the last thing Raven would have done would be to listen to it. But somehow the voice had made Raven overlook what it had said in the dream and the two of them would sometimes have what could almost be described as friendly conversations.

Raven was however still cautious, but she had no idea against what. Something was clouding her judgement and her usually sharp intellect. She was sure that the answer was right under her nose but something was obscuring it from her, preventing her from sorting this mess out. And it was seriously starting to tick her off. As she entered the living room, she did her best to hide her discomfort and agitation behind her usual emotionless façade. The rest of the team was already present, forming a semicircle facing Robin. Raven quietly walked up to stand next to Cyborg. Robin acknowledged her presence with a simple nod before addressing the whole team.

"Alright, now that we're all here, I can announce that Alexander has finally agreed to a meeting with us" that visibly relieved the team since they were all getting bored of just sitting around and doing nothing.

"So, when are we going" Beast boy asked.

"We leave right now" Robin answered. Everyone started moving towards the hallway but Raven stopped when Robin called her name. Turning around she saw that he had not moved and he was looking at her intently. Raven was instantly reminded of that dream and it sent a shiver down her spine. Robin gestured for her to come closer.

"You guys go on ahead, we'll catch up" he said to the rest of the team, who simply shrugged and walked on. When the others had left, Raven raised a questioning eyebrow at Robin. For a while, Robin was quiet; struggling with how to say what he wanted. In the end he decided to simply take the direct and easy version.

"Raven, I need you to stay here and monitor the situation" he declared to her. At those news, Ravens eyes widened and confusion practically radiated from her.

"It's just to be on the safe side. In case a situation arises, you can keep tabs on it" Robin hastily assured her. It was a poor excuse since all of their communicators where linked to the main computer. If a crime went down, information on it would be instantly transferred to every Titan no matter where in the city they were. Raven had of course seen through Robin's lie and her eyes narrowed dangerously. If looks could kill, mere words could not describe the horrible death Robin would have experienced then.

"Fine" she grumbled out through gritted teeth, before sweeping past Robin and taking a seat at the main computer. Robin meanwhile was too surprised to even move. He had expected her to fiercely protest and insist on going too. He had definitely not expected her to comply, especially when everything about her screamed her displeasure. Finally finding the will to move again, Robin hastily made his way towards the door. However, he stopped at the threshold and turned slightly around.

"Don't worry, we'll keep you posted on our progress" he said. Raven meanwhile made no indication that she had heard him.

"Whatever" she simply said without even turning to face him. Robin took that as his cue to leave. As soon as he was gone, Raven let out a relieved sigh and withdrew the black crystal from her belt. Simply holding it in her hand always brought a sense of tranquility to her. It felt so calming and natural to her that she never went anywhere without it these days.

"_Have they left now?" _the voice suddenly asked. Raven tensed up the moment she heard it. Even though she had chosen to ignore what it had said in her dream, she was still cautious over it. The voice was a snake, there was no doubt about that for Raven, and its every word was filled with venom.

"Yes, they have" she answered warily. Raven only participated in these discussions in an attempt to find out who the voice was and where it came from, at least that was what she kept telling herself was her reason.

"_Don't you find it odd that he wanted you to stay behind?" _the voice asked. Raven was unwilling to answer that question, since she sensed that the voice was planning to turn the answer against her somehow. It seemed to greatly enjoy twisting the very meaning of Raven's sentences to better suit its own point of view.

"Robin wanted me to survey the city and report if any crime went down" Raven said. In a way that was a perfect response, she had just given the voice an answer without answering the real question. But that did not stop the voice in the slightest.

"_Come on, that's the best excuse he can come up with? If I wanted to ditch my strongest asset, I would at least put my back into it!" _the voice dramatically exclaimed. But two words it had said caught Raven's full attention.

"Wait, what did you mean by 'strongest asset'?" Raven asked, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"_I meant exactly what I said. You have power unlike any other in this pathetic city, the rest of your 'friends' are not even in the same league as you! Raven, there is no one that is your equal" _the voice said to her. The compliments directed at her caused Raven to blush slightly. Even though Raven had heard the disgusted tone the voice had when referring to the city and her friends, she did not fully register it.

"_Come to think of it, that's probably why you were left behind"_ the voice suddenly said as an afterthought. Raven was caught off guard by that statement and quite frankly did not understand what the voice was suggesting. Following the silence after its statement, the voice elaborated.

"_If you think about it, could it not be that Robin is jealous, perhaps even afraid of your powers? If so, then it would only be logical for him to keep you out of the loop as much as possible" _it said. If Raven had been stunned before, it was nothing compared to now as she froze up completely. But Raven's shock was not because of the accusation the voice made against her friend, but because it actually made sense. Raven tried to ignore it, tried to tell herself it was not true. Yet still some part of her mind would not let it go.

"_What, you will not even try to deny my accusations?_" the voice mockingly asked. Raven meanwhile did not try to respond, she was too busy battling with her thoughts. She could not believe it was true, she just could not. And yet a part of her did it. A part of her believed that a friend was abandoning her. Not since facing her dark prophecy and her father had Raven felt so much doubt. Doubt in her herself but most frightening of all; doubt in her friendship. Raven lifted her legs up on the chair and tucked her knees under her chin.

"What is happening to me?" Raven asked. She received no answer.

…..

As soon as the Titans arrived at Cole Industries, they were approached by a thin, chalk white man wearing a purple colored office costume with his black hair was slicked back. Several things that you could not help to notice were his mischievous smile, his deceptive eyes and his generally untrustworthy face. If betrayal, double-crossing and sneakiness had been given a face, that is how it would probably look. The man was flanked on either side by a pair of security guards.

"I'm Lucifer. I've been ordered to escort you to Mr. Cole" the man said before turning around and walking towards the entrance. The Titans quietly fell into step behind him. The walk to Alexander's office took about five minutes. When they reached the doors, Lucifer opened it before stepping aside to let the Titans past. Alexander's office was quite unremarkable, the only furniture present was his wooden desk and a number of chairs around. _Well he's blind, what use would he have of decorations, _Robin thought. Alexander himself was seated in a large office chair facing the large window, seemingly ignorant of the fact that he had visitors.

"Sir, the Teen Titans are here" Lucifer said. Upon hearing this, Alexander wheeled his chair around to face the arrivals, not that it made much difference to him. His choice of clothing was not very remarkable, a simple grey colored suit, white shirt and a grey tie. He wore a pair of classic Ray Ban to cover his eyes.

"Thank you Lucifer, that would be all" he simply said. Lucifer immediately retreated from the room, closing the door behind him. Once Lucifer had gone Alexander turned to regard the Titans, which was obviously somewhat surprising.

"I'm a very busy man, Robin. And you have a whole city to protect. So let's just skip formalities and get straight to the point" Alexander said with a bored tone.

"Very well then. By now you must be aware of the mine incident. We found out that the culprits where armed with weapons manufactured by Cole Industries" Robin explained. Alexander just nodded slightly.

"I take it then that you're either here to accuse me of being involved in it, or you want access to my list of buyers to give you some suspects" Alexander said. But before Robin could answer him, he continued.

"Alright, I'll arrange for the necessary information to be transferred to you as soon as possible. Now if you don't mind, I've got a business to run." Following his last statement, Lucifer opened the doors again. Taking the hint, and not wanting to cause a scene, Robin led his team out of the office. But before he walked out, Alexander called out to him.

"Just out of curiosity Robin, where exactly is your goth friend Raven?" he mockingly asked. Robin tensed up at that as did the rest of the team.

"That's none of your business!" he called over his shoulder before storming out, followed by his teammates. As soon as they had left, Alexander turned to Lucifer.

"Get me Iron Mask" he simply said in a controlled but dangerous voice.

…..

A loud bang echoed in the warehouse Iron Mask was hiding in. On the second floor he was currently practicing his aim with his newly acquired Desert Eagle while playing '_La Marseillaise_' at maximum volume. His target was a picture of Alexander Cole shaking hands with the president. How he disliked him and his arrogant ways, having no respect for the ancient powers he was playing with. Iron Mask could just not wait to put that moron out of his misery. He was brought out of his murderous thoughts by his cellphone playing '_I hate everything about you', _indicating that someone was trying to reach him. Pulling it out of his pocket, he let out a low growl as he recognized his boss' number. Pressing a button on the cellphone, he set it on speakers.

"_Bonjour mon détestable patron. Que puis-je faire pour vous, cochon dégoûtant" _he said cheerfully.

"_You're lucky I can't understand a word of what you're saying. And can you turn that horrifying music off! If you need to listen to music, I suggest 'The Star-Spangled Banner_'_, now that's a true patriot's music" _Alexander exclaimed from the other end. Iron Mask bit back his come-back and decided to simply act like an obedient mercenary.

"I'm sure you did not _telephone _me just to banter about who's national anthem is the best. You have a _mission _for me, _non?" _Iron Mask patiently asked.

"_Yes, I have. It is about time that we moved in to acquire the crystal that you lost" _was the reply from Alexander. Even though they were in separate parts of the city, Iron Mask could clearly picture the sneer on Alexander's face when he mentioned the last part.

"_And just so you know. In light of your recent failure, I've sent in 'him_' _to support you"_ Alexander continued. Iron Mask knew fully well who he had meant by 'him' and that would just be exactly what he needed for his own plans.

"_Entendu_" was all Iron Mask said before hanging up. Checking his watch, he saw that it was only 15:30. That meant that he had just enough time to pay Raven a little visit in her dreams before moving against the Teen Titans. Kneeling in the circle he had used just days before, Iron Mask detached his soul from his body and soared high into the sky. He hovered for a few seconds before zeroing in on Titans tower, and a violet haired sorceress who had accidentally slipped into a half slumber from boredom.

…..

The journey back to Titans tower did not go as smoothly as one would have hoped. The T-car had now been stuck in the heavy traffic for nearly ten minutes and still they saw no end to it. Cyborg was currently hooting as if his life depended on it while looking as if he was ready to just take his sonic cannon and blast a way through. Beast boy was trying to pass the time by telling all kinds of jokes, naturally none of them being funny. Starfire was sitting anxiously next to Beast boy in the back seat, not really sure what to do. The only one who seemed to be unaffected by the traffic was Robin, but that was mainly because he was too deep in his own thoughts to care.

What he was worrying about was Raven. There was definitely something wrong with her, the way she had acted these days as well as today. Cyborg had also noticed the subtle changes in Raven, though he tried not to make a great deal of it. Starfire and Beast boy seemed to be ignorant of the fact, which came as no surprise for Robin. Robin hoped that whatever was wrong with Raven, she would eventually tell them by her own free will. Just then however, an explosion could be heard in the distance. Soon their communicators were also beeping. When Robin activated his, a small stream of information flashed on the screen.

"There's something going on at the mall" Robin shouted to his team. Forgetting all about traffic rules, Cyborg steered the car up on the sidewalk and bypassed the car line. While speeding off towards the mall, Robin contacted Titans tower.

"Raven, can you hear me? We got a situation here!"

…..

Raven was running as fast as she could through the dark and mist covered forest. Ancient dead trees surrounded her, their bone-like branches seeming to stretch out to ensnare anyone who got close enough. But Raven paid them no heed, as she was far too busy fleeing in terror. Something was following her, she just knew it, and it wanted her dead. She heard a chilling howl very close by but that only spurred her onward. Suddenly, out of the mist a dark shape burst out towards Raven. She let out a yelp before narrowly dodging it, but its claws still managed to slice three deep gashes in her left arm. Raven quickly stood back up while clutching her left arm as she cast a quick glance at her attacker. It had retreated into the mist again but she could still see the silhouette of a large wolf growling menacingly at her.

Not wasting anymore time, she sprinted away hoping against all odds that she could lose it. But soon what looked like a green bolt hit her in the back, leaving a stinging burn mark and hurling Raven to the ground. She quickly scrambled up, panic getting the better of her, but soon a barrage of similar bolts rained down on her. Raven managed to avoid the bolts this time but was still showered by rocks and dirt from the explosions. Raven managed to throw herself into a large pocket of trees, hoping they would give her some protection.

That hope proved false as the trees behind her exploded. Before Raven even knew what had happened, four missiles came flying at her. They blasted what little cover she had left and hurled her out in the open again. Raven tried to get up but a blue colored blast hit her in the back and smashed her into a tree. Miraculously, Raven still managed to pick herself up and keep running, although she swayed quite a bit and favored her right leg over her left.

But Raven did not get far as when she was about to run past a tree, a metal boo staff came from behind it and smashed into Raven's face. It sent her crashing to the ground, her nose bleeding and her vision spinning. But even in this condition did Raven try to stand back up and keep moving. However, her efforts were hampered when a boot suddenly pressed against her throat, constricting her air supply. She desperately clawed at the boot to get it off but it would not budge.

"You should have known this day would come, Raven" an all too familiar voice said. Peering up at the figure above her, Raven was left speechless as she looked on Robin with his boot on her throat. Soon the rest of the team gathered around Raven, all of them staring at her with cold and merciless eyes. Raven tried to ask what was going on, but all that came out of her mouth was a gurgling sound.

"And to think that I used to regard you as my sister, truly pathetic" Cyborg said to her left.

"On my world, we would have done this a long time ago" Starfire spoke out next to Cyborg.

"Yeah, I hope this will be painful for you, daemon!" Beast boy exclaimed.

"Face it Raven. You're evil, a corruption on this world. And we're here to extinguish it" Robin calmly said before pressing a button on his boo staff, causing a spear tip to be extended from it. The rest of the team was now cheering Robin on to strike the blow. Raven meanwhile was in hysterical tears, not believing that her friends would do something like this to her. Robin meanwhile had raised the spear above her heart and was preparing to plunge it in; Raven did not even try to fight back.

"_Are you really gonna give up this easily?" _the voice suddenly said. Raven did not even answer it, she just waited with her eyes closed for the blow to land.

"_Raven, these people pretended to be your friends for years, and now they have betrayed you. Why? Because they're weaker than you, and they know it! To make themselves look strong and good they are prepared to remove you as a competition! And you're just gonna let them kill you? Let them have your rightful place in the spotlight? Don't be stupid now Raven! Fight back, teach them who they're messing with!" _the voice shouted at her. Something in the voice's speech brought a small spark to Raven, weakly burning in her spirit. But as its speech dragged on, that spark began to burn fiercer until it ignited Raven. Her earlier fear and sorrow was washed away like words in sand and replaced with a fierce sense of hatred and determination.

The spear was stopped mere inches from Raven's chest, now surrounded by dark energy. The Titans first looked at the spear and then at Raven. Raven glared at each of them with white glowing eyes before fixating her stare straight on Robin's face.

"You want to take my life? THEN TRY AND TAKE IT!" She roared before sending a dark energy blast straight into him, throwing Robin into a tree. Before any of the other Titans had time to react, Raven had levitated back up and enveloped her right hand in dark energy. She then rushed straight at Cyborg and smashed her hand right through his chest before unleashing the energy gathered in her hand, smashing the mechanics and power supply in Cyborg's chest to scrap pieces. He was dead before he even hit the ground.

The remaining two had now realized their peril and retreated. Starfire flew into the air and bombarded Raven with starbolts, Raven simply formed a dark barrier that deflected all the shots. Beast boy meanwhile had crept up on Ravens right flank and now launched himself at her as a cheetah. But Raven enveloped herself in dark energy and Beast boy simply passed right through her as if she was made of air. The second he had passed through her, Raven twirled around and formed a black talon in her hand and caught Beast boy with it. The talon dug deep into Beast boy's spine, who yelped in pain, and then Raven smashed Beast boy with all her might into the ground. He morphed back into his normal self and tried to crawl away, whimpering in pain all along. Suddenly he noticed that there was a large shadow over him, causing him to stop and turn his gaze upward. The last thing he saw was a 2 ton boulder coming down on him.

Starfire let out a cry of despair when Raven crushed Beast boy under the boulder and throwing caution to the wind, she dived straight toward Raven while firing starbolt after starbolt. Raven meanwhile stood her ground, not even flinching as the ground around her was shredded by starbolts. But just when Starfire was about to collide with Raven, she gracefully sidestepped her while using her dark energy to form a weapon in her hand. Starfire was so focused on Raven, she never even saw the black scythe that descended on her neck.

Raven watched dispassionately as the now headless body of Starfire kept flying for a few seconds before crashing to the ground and disappearing into the mist. With all the threats dealt with, Raven dissolved the scythe in her hand. She suddenly heard a groan to her right and when turning towards the noise, she found Robin trying to stand up only to fall back down again. Narrowing her eyes at him, Raven began to menacingly approach him. Robin saw her approach and with fearful eyes tried to crawl away from her. But soon his back came up against a tree, blocking his pathetic escape. Robin glanced slightly back to see what had stopped him but suddenly he felt something wrap around his throat tightly. When turning back, he saw that Raven had in an instant crossed the distance between them and was now using her powers to strangle Robin.

Raven used her powers to hoist Robin up and hold him against the tree. She reached out and ripped his mask from his eyes, just so she could watch his life fade away from his eyes. She stared intently into Robins blue eyes, watching the pure terror flooding from them. Robin tried to speak but Raven's iron grip on his throat meant that he could barely breathe, let alone speak. He weakly struggled in her power's grip and his eyes held a pleading notion in them but Raven cared nothing of it, she was far too deep into her hatred to even notice such trivial matters. Raven stretched her right arm out from her side and suddenly Robin's spear, which lay discarded a few feet away, began to levitate and slowly float towards Raven outstretched hand. Robin renewed his struggles with greater vigor when he saw his weapon.

Normally, Raven would never even think of killing someone, especially her friend. But now, all she felt was an emotional detachment from it all; no pity, no remorse, no mercy. A small part of Raven though fought against what she was about to do, but it was buried in darkness and there was… something that was restraining that small part, keeping it from interfering. Finally Raven closed her grip around the spear and aimed it with delicate care at Robin's heart.

"Farewell, my friend" Raven said with a sneer before driving the spear right through Robin, nailing him to the tree. Robin let out one final gasp before his body went limp. Raven let go of Robin with her powers and left him nailed to the tree. She calmly surveyed her surroundings; watching the scrapheap that used to be Cyborg, the red colored hair that marked where Starfire's head was and the large boulder that now served as Beast boy's tombstone. Strangely enough, she did not feel an ounce of regret for her actions, they had wanted to kill her and they had paid the price. That was how simple it was to Raven.

"_That's my girl"_ the voice said approvingly, which actually caused Raven to somewhat smile. Suddenly Raven started fading away rapidly. She noticed this with alarm but had not even time to react before she disappeared completely. As soon as she was gone, Robin lifted his head to survey his surroundings, a sadistic smile on his face. He tightly gripped the spear and pulled himself slowly off it while it was still stuck to the tree. As soon as he was free, he stumbled slightly but quickly righted himself. As Robin watched the bodies of his teammates, he felt great pride in Raven.

"Everything's going according to plan" he said to himself. Now he just needed to strike at the real Titans and keep Raven's mind occupied so she would not have time to question her actions here. Following his statement, swarms of crows burst out from the forest and obscured Robin from view. But above the croaking from the hundreds of crows, the sound of Robin whistling the tune to '_La Marseillaise_' could be heard. Then the crows disappeared, leaving behind a discarded costume of Robin.

* * *

><p><em>I know, there have been a lot of dream sequences now. But those are the best options I have to create these scenarios were Raven can experience stuff like killing her friends or being rejected by people she cares about.<em>

_Now the translations:_

_Entendu = understood_

_The rest of the words used should be very similar to their English counterparts that you can understand them._

_P.S. I will not translate the sentence "Bonjour mon détestable patron. Que puis-je faire pour vous, cochon dégoûtant"__, that task I leave to whoever wants to know what it means. _


	9. Chapter 9: Who are you?

The alarm was blaring at full power in the tower, violently ripping Raven from her dream and sending her tumbling to the floor along with the chair she had fallen asleep in. Muttering a few curses under her breath, she scrambled back up to survey the monitor. It had brought up a map of the city and a mark was blinking at the mall. Raven however nearly choked on her own breath when she saw the mark; it was an 'S'.

"_Raven, can you hear me? We've got a situation here!" _Robin's voice suddenly yelled seconds before an image of him was brought up beside the map on the screen.

"Yes, I've noticed it. Someone's terrorizing people at the mall. Police is already on sight but they're pinned down on the street" Raven explained calmly. He nodded before talking again.

"_Alright, I think we can handle this on our own_. _Raven, you stay put, alert us if anyt…."_

"Robin" Raven interrupted him, her voice still calm but now had a sharp edge to it. Robin looked at her irritably.

"_What?" _he asked, annoyance plainly visible on his face. Raven knew that what she was about to say next would provoke Robin to extreme levels but as leader, he needed to know this piece of information.

"It's Slade" she simply said while averting her gaze from his. The silence that followed that statement was nearly painful for Raven. When she looked back at Robin, the hateful and frightening face she saw would probably even leave the Dark Knight in need of a new pair of underwear. This was going to end badly, Raven just knew it. Suddenly another red dot appeared on the city map. Raven looked at the new stream of information that came with it before turning to Robin again.

"There's something going on at the docks. A worker there claims that he heard gunfire from a warehouse at pier 40" Raven said. Robin looked infuriated to say the least that something else had come up just when he was about to face his most hated enemy again.

"_Alright, I'll send Starfire to investigate it, you continue to monitor what Slade's up to" _Robin said. To that statement Raven glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest.

"With due respect, I'm closer to the docks then you are, and I can simply teleport there. You'll need Starfire against Slade, so you four go and deal with him while I deal with this" Raven firmly stated, making it clear that she would not take a no for an answer. Luckily, Robin knew when he was beaten and relented.

"_Very well, report back when you're done"_ Robin said before hanging up. Raven analyzed the red dot carefully for a few moments before heading towards the door.

"_Once again he tries to keep you out of the loop" _the voice said in her head. That brought an irritated growl from her throat.

"Shut up!" Raven responded angrily. She then stormed out of the living room but stopped in the hallway when her vision started blurring. Raven leaned against the wall and put her right hand against her forehead but she felt something warm and sticky in her palm. Looking at her hand in alarm, she saw that it was smeared with blood. As soon as she saw this, an image of a pair of dead blue eyes staring pleadingly at her flashed past her eyes and she thought she heard Starfire scream. It only lasted for a few seconds and when she looked at her hand again, the blood was gone. Dismissing it as a figment of her imagination, Raven kept on walking towards the elevator.

…..

The sight that greeted the Titans at the mall was one of chaos; with several cars burning, nearly every window shattered, the main entrance to the mall blown wide open, a handful of corpses strewn at the entrance and on the open street and all the cops hugging whatever cover they could tightly. Behind the wreckage of an ambulance a police officer, along with two others, was waving at the Titans, indicating they should come closer. The Titans started moving towards him but followed the cop's example and moved quickly from cover to cover with their heads held low. As soon as they reached the man he smiled reassuringly at them.

"Finally you're here. I was starting to worry we'd have to deal with this ourselves" he said to them. He had a blood soaked bandage over his head while the guy to his right was slumped against the back of the ambulance, his left leg gone from the knee and downward. The last of them was standing at the edge of the ambulance, cautiously peeking around it at the mall. The man with the bandage stretched out a hand at Robin.

"I'm Jim by the way" he said

"Nice to meet you. Now can you tell me what the situation is?" Robin responded while shaking Jim's hand.

"Well it's not good, I can tell you that" Jim said before gesturing at the mall.

"Some psycho blew a bomb outside in the parking lot and then went on a shooting rampage inside. By the time we got here everyone had either died or fled the scene. We tried smashing our way in through the front door, but the bastard had booby trapped it with shrapnel mines and well; you can see the result yourself. Next thing you know, someone started taking headshots at us, already gotten ten men. We've tried to pinpoint his exact location but he's like a damn ghost" Jim explained angrily.

"We heard it was Slade, can you confirm this to us?" Robin asked, muscles tensing as he mentioned the name Slade. Jim looked thoughtful for a moment before responding.

"Can't say really, though some of the boys claim they caught sight of a large man wearing a half orange half black mask. So unless you know another supervillian with that kind of mask, I'd say it's him"

"You stay outside, we'll go in and take care of him" Robin said. Jim just nodded before Robin began sprinting across the open road, not even stopping to give any orders or encouragements to his team. Seeing no other option, they warily followed him. Thankfully they reached the entrance without incident and as they peered in, all they saw where the smashed shops and the occasional corpses. As they cautiously entered the mall, everyone of them were ready for a sudden attack; Robin had his boo staff extended and tightly gripped in both his hands, Cyborg had his sonic cannon ready and constantly aimed it at everything he looked at, Starfire hovered a few feet above ground with starbolts loaded in both her hands and Beast boy prowled ahead as a tiger.

As they reached an escalator they stopped dead in their tracks, for at the top of it stood none other than Slade. He was largely obscured by shadows but they could still make out his mask and his single eyes staring intently at them. He stood absolutely still with his hands clasped behind his back. For several heartbeats, both side stood as immobile as statues. Finally Robin, with a wild battle cry, rushed up the escalator and smashed his staff straight into Slade's head sending him crashing to the ground in a heap of limbs. Robin pounced on him in an instant, crushing him against the floor and violently ripping the mask of his face. However, Robin was left speechless from surprise and confusion when he looked on the face of the dummy in his grip. The other Titans had now joined Robin and they were equally as confused as Robin.

"Dude, that's not Slade" Beast boy burst out, stating the obvious.

"Could this be another one of Slade's tricks?" Starfire asked. Robin turned around to face Starfire.

"I have no id..." he began but stopped when he saw light being reflected in something small a few floor's up. Reacting on instincts, he rushed forward and tackled Starfire to the ground. Mere seconds later a bang echoed in the mall and Robin felt a bullet whistle overhead. Beast boy and Cyborg stood dumbstruck for a few seconds before they dived behind a pair of pillars. Robin meanwhile managed to crawl into the cover of a stone railing and dragged Starfire with him just in time before another bullet buried itself in the floor where Starfire had been a second earlier.

"Impressive Robin. It seems you have got the reflexes of a cat. But sadly you also got the predictable temperament of a bull" a voice called out. Robin was a little puzzled by the voice since he could clearly hear that it was not Slade at all. Robin guessed that his best chance would be to keep the man talking so he could pinpoint his exact location.

"Who are you and where's Slade?" he called out.

"To answer your first question boy, you can simply call me the Hunter. As for your second question; Slade's not here and he never was. In fact, he's not even involved in this!" the Hunter responded. Strangely enough, it sounded like his voice echoed across the entire mall. But Robin was more concerned about what he had just heard.

"What do you mean?" Robin asked.

"A skilled hunter always learns everything he can about his prey before hunting it. An interesting fact about you Robin is your fanatical grudge against Slade. You have gone to extreme lengths in the past to capture him, even at one point crossing the very line between hero and criminal to do so" the Hunter explained. Robin's breath got lodged in his throat as he heard the last part. Did he know about the Red X suit?That was a thought that raced through Robins mind.

"You also have a tendency to forget all about tactics and caution whenever you face him, instead giving in to your hatred and impulses. A truly despicable weakness in a leader if you ask me" the Hunter continued. Robin felt his anger grow as the Hunter insulted him.

"But that habit also gave me an advantage over you, since I knew what would really aggravate you enough to make you come to me. If you want to lure a prey out into the open and into a trap, you have to use the right bait" the Hunter concluded. Robin felt his anger grow to newer levels by that statement, but now that anger was also directed at himself. This was his entire fault, because of his recklessness they had walked straight into a trap.

"Yo! If you're not one of Slade's goons, then who's your boss?" Cyborg suddenly called out.

"That's information that I'm not at liberty to share with you. Suffice to say that it's the same one who also hired that psycho Iron Mask" the Hunter responded.

"Why am I not surprised by that?" Robin muttered sarcastically.

"Personally I'm glad that he failed in killing you. I'm hoping to test my hunting skills against you before I go after the big game" the Hunter continued to explain.

"Just what are you babbling about?" Cyborg asked.

"I'm a hunter. My whole life is about the thrill of the hunt. I have already hunted every animal on this Earth and none of them provides any sport for me. In order to continue my call, I came to the conclusion that only by hunting meta humans would I find the necessary challenge" the Hunter explained. The Titans were unsure what was most creepy; the fact that he hunted people like themselves or the fact that he could talk about it in such a casual way.

"So you're just here to kill us then!" Beast boy yelled at him.

"On a personal level; yes, that's my goal. But my employer instructed me to simply distract you and only kill you if I got an opportunity to do so" the Hunter explained.

"Wait, distract us from what?" Robin asked worriedly. He was of course very concerned, if this was all a diversion then who knows what could be going on somewhere else in the city.

"Shouldn't it be obvious to you? Or didn't you notice that you're one less team member" the Hunter said arrogantly. That brought a collective gasp from the Titans as the implications sunk into them.

"Raven" was all that Robin managed to say.

…..

Despite the time of the day, the docks where empty of people. Raven did not detect a single person down at pier 40 and that was troublesome news for her. She had expected a few officers to be on sight, maybe even a few workers. Heck, she had even expected to be met by gunfire from the culprit. She had definitely not expected this lack of response. As she warily walked around, trying to at least found whoever made the call, she stumbled upon a police car parked outside of an open warehouse. Peeking into the car, Raven saw no trace of its owners but suddenly she heard what sounded like a moan coming from the warehouse. Raven cautiously entered it to find hundreds of crates stacked on top of each other in several heaps, creating a labyrinth through the warehouse. Raven trudged past the crates at a cautious pace, eyes constantly scanning her surroundings for any threat.

"Help me" a weak voice suddenly said from up ahead. Raven immediately stopped and reached out with her powers to see if there was anyone up ahead. She detected one life form, but its aura was very weak. Raven made a quick sweep of the nearby surroundings to make sure no one was lying in ambush before phasing right through the wall of crates towards the voice. She found him tied to a chair in an open space with a single lamp hanging right over him. Judging from what was left of his uniform Raven assumed he was a cop. When the man heard Raven approach, he raised his head to look at her with alarm. He fearfully glanced around before focusing his stare at her.

"You must get out!" he rasped at her. Raven was a little puzzled by it but still moved forward and began working on the knots.

"Don't worry, I'll get you out" she reassured him. But he seemed to be anything but reassured.

"You don't understand! It's a trap!" he yelled at her. Seconds later a bullet went right through his skull. Raven backed away in alarm and instinctively formed a barrier around herself but no second shot came. This turn of event chocked Raven since she had made a sweep of the area and she had detected no other living being. But now Raven noticed something else; she had a strange feeling, as if she was sensing another presence. This feeling was identical to what she had felt when she had been lost in the cave network. But now when she thought of it, it was actually the same feeling she had felt in the presence of Iron Mask.

"It can't be…" Raven whispered. As if on cue, the windows were shattered by swarms of crows bursting into the warehouse. They swirled above Raven, obscuring the roof and drowning the warehouse in their croaking. But Raven paid these little heed, instead trying to locate the one controlling them.

"_Bonjour ma belle Raven, comment vous sentez-vous en cette journée glorieuse?" _Iron Mask cheerfully asked her from behind. Rapidly spinning around, she found him standing casually on top of a pile of crates. Once again she glared into that hateful iron mask he took his name from. Seeing her death glare, Iron Mask simply laughed.

"I see you're still somewhat _furieuse _at _moi._ I had hoped we could have _pardonné _each other by now" Iron Mask said solemnly. Raven's way of answering was by enveloping the crates at the bottom of the pile and pulling them out, causing the whole thing to come crashing down with Iron Mask. The moment he hit the ground, Raven formed a massive black hand and smashed it straight into Iron Mask's back. It carried enough punch to make a crater but Iron Mask just stood back up without any sign of discomfort.

"Less talking, more fighting" was all Raven said before hurling a pair of crates at Iron Mask. But this time he was ready and gracefully avoided both of them.

"_Très bien" _he said before making a gesture with his hand, causing the crows to attack.

…..

The stalemate at the mall had now gone on for fifteen minutes, with the Titans unwilling to run into the open and get in the Hunter's crosshairs while the Hunter apparently did not want to abandon his elevated position.

"Cyborg, now!" Robin suddenly shouted before covering his eyes. The other Titans did likewise just seconds before Cyborg fired off an intense light blast that blinded everyone that watched it. As soon as it wore off, the Titans sprang into action. Through their long conversation with the Hunter they had pin pointed his location to a cloth store two floors above. Starfire now bolted straight into the air and fired starbolt after starbolt at the store, Beast boy morphed into an eagle and took off towards the store, Cyborg added his own sonic cannon to the barrage and Robin fired a grappling hook to the second floor. The whole attack did not last longer than twenty seconds but by then the whole shop was destroyed.

When Robin reached the store, all he found was the remnants of a sniper rifle mounted on a stand and connected to a wireless control system. Soon Beast boy and Starfire had joined Robin as well and where equally as confused as he was.

"Where's the Hunter?" Starfire asked. In answer to her question, Cyborg suddenly cried out in pain. When they looked at where he was, they saw that he had a sword driven right through his stomach and a cloaked figure wearing a gas mask was standing behind him, pointing a gun at his head. Cyborg suddenly twirled around and swung both his hands at the Hunter who narrowly avoided them by jumping back. The Hunter fired five shots in rapid succession but while they would have gone through the human part of Cyborg's head, all they did now was ricochet off his armored chest.

Starfire suddenly came diving at the Hunter but he threw a ball at her. Seconds before making contact, the ball burst open and launched a net at Starfire who could not dodge it in time. She became entangled in it and crashed into a pillar. The Hunter aimed his gun at the now defenseless Starfire but Beast boy, in the form of a green tiger, pounced on him before he could pull the trigger. Beast boy pinned the Hunter to the ground while the Hunter grabbed Beast boy's front legs. Suddenly electrical volts shot from the Hunter's hands and into Beast boy, causing his fur to stand on end and making him morph back and forth between tiger and his usual form.

The Hunter threw Beast boy off himself and flipped back up on his feet, coming face to face with Robin who tried to smash his boo staff into his face. He caught it in both his hands and twisted it out of Robin's grasp, who immediately let go and brought his boot into the Hunter's stomach. He fell hard onto the ground and Robin came at him and tried to smash his boot into his chest. But the Hunter caught his foot as it came down and twisted it painfully around. Robin lost his balance and with a cry of pain he fell face first onto the floor next to the Hunter.

The Hunter jumped back up on his feet and pulled out a knife and turned towards Robin. A sonic blast from Cyborg then hit him in the side and sent him tumbling down the escalator. Cyborg came running after him with his sonic cannon at the ready but as soon as he came out into the open the Hunter pressed a remote on his arm and a minigun stationed on the third floor activated. It was wired to a motion tracking system which zeroed right in on Cyborg. He only realized his peril when a hail of bullets showered his armor. Thankfully his armor withstood the barrage but the sheer strength and ferocity of it forced him down on his knees.

Beast boy had by now recovered from his shock and flew straight at the minigun as a hawk. The minigun automatically locked on to this new threat and fired. Beast boy then morphed between all sorts of birds while trying to dodge all the incoming bullets. Finally he reached it and flew right over it and transformed into a hippo, crushing the minigun under his bulk. Robin had by then joined Cyborg and they both rushed the Hunter, although Cyborg lagged behind due to the sword still in his gut. The hunter simply stretched out his right arm and pressed a button on the underside of it with his left hand, causing a tube to be extended from underneath his sleeve.

Robin saw this danger just in time and narrowly dodged the jet of flames from it. Suddenly Cyborg burst right through the flames, his armored body protecting him from serious harm. The Hunter quickly retreated and threw a trio of discs at Cyborg. Two of them he managed to dodge but the third one lodged itself in his shoulder and sent a quick electrical current through his body. The Hunter rushed forward to finish him off but was forced back by Starfire sending several starbolts at him. She landed next to Cyborg who ripped the disc out of his shoulder while Robin and Beast boy also joined them. The Hunter just sighed.

"This is going to take a while" he said before he and the Titans attacked simultaneously.

…..

"Azarath metrion zinthos!" Raven chanted as she enveloped six crates in dark energy and began swinging them around, crushing dozens of crows. Already the floor was covered by hundreds of dead crows but still there seemed to be no end to them. She dropped the crates when Iron Mask appeared behind her and hit her in the back. The moment she hit the floor, the crows swarmed her. But she formed a barrier around herself and violently expanded it which sent the crows flying backwards.

Iron Mask came running at her again, a knife in his left hand, but she formed a pair of talons in her hands. As soon as Iron Mask got close enough she impaled him through his gut with her left talon and severed his left arm with the other. Raven used her powers to swing Iron Mask right over herself and smashed him head first into the floor before tossing him into a pile of crates. The crows ceased their attack but Raven did not let her guard down this time. And just as she expected, a few moments later Iron Mask stumbled out of the rubble.

"I thought that _herós _did not kill" Iron Mask said. Raven remained as impassive as before.

"We don't kill living beings. And last time I checked, undead psychos did not fall into that category" Raven responded sarcastically.

"Yes, I _suppose _you're right on that account" Iron Mask said. Suddenly Raven made a cutting motion with her hand, as if imagining slicing Iron Mask with it. Dark energy remained in the wake of Raven's hand and when she was done, a dark energy blade had formed that speeded towards Iron Mask in the blink of an eye. Before he could even react, his remaining arm was sliced off.

"Now that's _tricherie!" _Iron Mask angrily exclaimed, the stumps of his arms waving comically in imitation of a pair of real arms. Raven did not respond, simply made a similar attack again. This time however, several crows moved into the blade's path, wearing its energy down until it dissipated without even coming close to Iron Mask. But Raven saw that several crows also surrounded the area where his arms would normally be. Then, the crows seemed to melt into liquid darkness and attached themselves to Iron Mask's stumps. Within seconds the liquid darkness had hardened and formed a new pair of arms for Iron Mask. He made some stretching's with his arms and flexed his fingers before facing Raven again.

"_Magnifique, _don't you agree?" Iron Mask nonchalantly asked.

"Oh great, an undead with the ability to replace cut off limbs. This is going to take the whole day" Raven whined before forming a trio of arms that moved towards Iron Mask. Before they reached him, the crows suddenly dived towards Iron Mask and obscured him from view. Then they scattered away but Iron Mask himself was gone.

"If you liked that trick, then you'll _aimer_ this one" Iron Mask said, his voice echoing from all around Raven. Suddenly ten Iron Masks jumped out of the swarms of crows. The first one came running at her and delivered a kick into her stomach which sent her straight into the arms of a second clone standing behind her. Raven immediately formed several black blades and shredded the one holding her before thrusting her right arm forward and sending a dark energy beam speeding towards the one that kicked her. The clone was impaled through the chest and the body dissolved into crows. The beam suddenly changed direction and speeded towards a second victim. The next clone saw the danger and tried to dodge it but it matched the clone's movement perfectly and a second later impaled it too, causing it also to dissolve into crows.

Two clones came running at Raven and she redirected her beam at them. Seeing this imminent danger, they split up and came at Raven from two directions. The beam caught up with one of them and went right through its skull. That gave the second one time to close the distance to Raven and try to tackle her to the ground. But a black pool was formed underneath Raven and she sunk through it and reappeared behind the confused clone. Raven grabbed it with her powers but suddenly got hit in the back of her head which sent her sprawling on the floor. Two clones, the one she had grabbed and the one that hit her in the head, rushed towards her but in desperation she unleashed at black barrier at them. The moment their bodies past through that barrier they dissolved. That attack left her drained of power and she drew in ragged breaths. Then another clone appeared above her and grabbed her throat. Drawing on the strength she had left, Raven sent a dark tendril right through the left eye socket. As that body dissolved into crows, Raven weakly staggered back to her feet but something hit her in the back and she landed heavily on her stomach. Before she could get up, a weight pressed her down to the floor while a pair of hands gripped her arms tightly and held them behind her back. Looking slightly over her shoulder, she saw that the remaining three clones where holding her down.

"You fought_ bien_, but you've lost now" Iron Mask said from all around her.

"Show yourself, coward!" Raven shouted at him. She was scared at the moment since she had no strength left to defend herself, but she would not show such weakness in front of an enemy. Raven suddenly noticed that several crows were converging on the same spot, a few feet in front of her. She also noticed that Iron Mask's iron mask was carried in that swarm. Then, with overly dramatic slowness, the crows melted into liquid darkness and began to form a human body with the iron mask serving as the head. Soon, Iron Mask was standing in front of her.

"_Contente _now?" he asked.

"If you're going to kill me, then just get it over with!" Raven snarled. But to her surprise he just laughed.

"Kill you? _Mon chère_ Raven. If I wanted you _morte_, I could just have let you die in that mine" he said. Raven looked at him in confusion.

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"I take it you don't remember. _Très bien, _I will remind you then" he responded.

…..

_Flashback_

The explosion threw Iron Mask back ferociously while ripping his left arm from his body. He was sent tumbling down a large fissure, his body nothing more than a scorched heap of meat. But Iron Mask cared little for the damage done to his body, he would just repair it at a later date. Iron Mask suddenly noticed that there was a large black sphere also falling with him. He easily recognized that power as Raven's. But Raven's fall did not go as smoothly as Iron Mask's. The sphere kept bouncing down along the walls and it was putting a huge strain on the already weakened Raven. Finally the sphere could take no more beating and shattered. Directly afterwards, Raven hit her head hard against the rock wall and blacked out.

"_Merde!" _Iron Mask cursed. This was not good for him, if Raven died his plan would just flush straight down the toilet. So he desperately tried to reach Raven, though the laws of gravity hampered his progress quite a bit. Eventually he managed to grab hold of her belt but what was worse, he was starting to see the bottom of the fissure.

"_Temps désespérés appellent des mesures désespérées" _he muttered to himself before chanting an incantation. A glowing circle appeared below them from which a wind blew that slowed their descent. Then the wind disappeared and they both fell through the circle which now served as a portal. They reappeared in a dark and ancient hall, straight above a massive spear. Iron Mask instinctively threw Raven aside to save her but was himself impaled on the spear right through the chest. He could feel that he held something in his right hand and when peering at it, he saw that Raven's communicator was clutched in it. Soon Iron Mask's spell wore off and everything around him turned pitch black. But instead of getting off the spear, Iron Mask decided to remain where he was. He needed to make sure that Raven actually got out alive and besides, if she saw him 'dead' then he could continue with his work with impunity. So all that was left was to wait for Raven to come around, which would probably take a while.

…..

Raven was quite skeptical towards that story but nevertheless, it actually explained how she had ended up in that hall in the first place.

"So you see Raven, I'm not your _ennemi_ here" Iron Mask said. Raven just snorted.

"All evidence to the contrary" she said while jerking her head towards the clones of Iron Mask still pinning her down.

"Okay, so I'm not your _copain_ either! But I'm something far more _important_ to you" he said cryptically. Raven narrowed her eyes at him.

"And what would that exactly be?" Raven cautiously asked. Iron Mask did not answer at first, instead he walked over to a nearby crate and sat down on it before turning his attention back to Raven.

"Think about it. We both feel each other's _présence_ before we even see each other. Do you know why?" he asked. Raven did not answer him, instead eyed him cautiously as if she expected him to attack her at any moment; which was exactly what she suspected.

"I take your _silence_ as a 'no'. _Très bien,_ let me put it plainly to you; I'm half daemon too" Iron Mask announced. Raven's eyes went wide and she was at a complete loss of words. Not receiving any reply from Raven, Iron Mask decided to go on.

"Did you actually think that you're the only one who was blessed with this gift? Though I must _admettre_ that even among half daemons you're _extraordinaire_, I doubt anyone else can boast about being the child of the great Trigon" Iron Mask said. Raven meanwhile was still in shock and hardly even registered what he was saying.

"I for one do not have such a powerful _patrimoine_. _Mon_ _père_ was some nameless minor daemon who got a lucky shot with my mother" Iron Mask concluded. Finally Raven's shock wore off enough for her to speak but there was only one thing she could think of to say.

"Who are you?" she asked weakly. Iron Mask looked directly into her eyes before answering.

"You want to know who I am? Then I will tell you a story about a young man with a grand vision for the future, an _extraordinaire _man. Let me tell you the truestory of _The Man in the Iron Mask"_

* * *

><p><em>Finally, the truth of who Iron Mask really is has been revealed. And just so you know, the next chapter will be devoted fully to Iron Mask's background.<em>

_Translation time:_

_Bonjour ma belle Raven, comment vous sentez-vous en cette journée glorieuse = God day my beautiful Raven, how are you feeling on this glorious day_

_Pardonné = forgiven_

_Tricherie = cheating_

_Aimer = love_

_Contente = happy_

_Mon chère = my dear_

_Morte = dead_

_Temps désespérés appellent des mesures désespérées = desperate times call for desperate measures_

_Copain = friend_

_Patrimoine = heritage_

_Mon_ _père = my father_

_As always, I hope you can decipher the remaining words without my help._


	10. Chapter 10: The rise of evil

_Alright, here is my origin story for the nutcase Iron Mask. There are first two things I wish to make clear to everyone:_

_My character Iron Mask is based on the historical figure known as the man in the iron mask, a prisoner in France during the late 17__th__ century. His real name and the reason for his imprisonment have never been revealed and every time he was seen his face had been concealed. But I must inform you that everything I have written about my version of the man in the iron mask is purely fictional and does not contain an ounce of historical accuracy. If you want real facts about this mysterious figure just Google him._

_This chapter obviously takes place in France but since not everyone reading this story can understand French I will write it in English. You'll just have to imagine that they speak French. _

* * *

><p><span>France<span>

July 15, 1669

In the small village of Cuzorn in the southwest parts of France, the streets were empty. There was no sign of life anywhere in the tiny community. Although it may seem distressful, those who knew what day it was did not find this bad. For today was Sunday and like every good catholic, the villagers had gathered in the church for prayer. Around 20 people were cramped into the small church, all of them directing their focus to the new visitor they had; Cardinal Armand du Jean.

The villagers had been surprised to say the least when the Cardinal had arrived two days ago, they could just not see why someone as important as he would grace such a small and insignificant village with his presence. Then, when Sunday pray arrived, he had insisted that he would lead the people in prayer as an act of friendship. Needless to say, the villagers were very thrilled by this and believed that this could mean good news for their village; except one man at the back of the crowd.

His name was Jacques DeMonde. He wore a black tunic and matching pair of pants, his long and black hair was tied back in a ponytail but the most striking about him were his black eyes. Both his irises and his pupils were as black as night. Right now, he was bored as hell. These pointless hours wasted in the church only served to remind him why his mother had done what she had done.

She had once, in a desperate bid to gain power, made a pact with dark and ancient powers. They gave her the power to seduce any man she wanted and in return she gave him her virginity. A year later Jacques had been born and had been praised as a miracle by the mortal cult that her mother had been part of. They had seen him as a physical manifestation of the dark powers they worshiped. Luckily that status had saved Jacques when he was five. His mother had been accused of witchcraft, which the cult would later joke was the understatement of the year, and had subsequently been burned at the stake. Although the cult did not even lift a finger to save Jacques's mother, they did everything in their power to get Jacques, their little 'saint', to safety; cost them half their members to do so.

He would grow up in Cuzorn under the supervision of the cult, who went into hiding with him. If anyone would have cared to memorize it, today would have been Jacques's 18th birthday. Two years earlier he had taken over the cult and decided that the time of hiding was over. He had sent his followers far and wide in search of promising recruits and mystic powers. Both of these goods were extremely difficult to acquire in these days, when catholic word was law. But Jacques was not to be deterred for he had a vision, a vision of calling forth the daemonic powers that lurked in every corner of the world and together crush both the pathetic Catholic Church and the upstart Muslim religion.

"… Pater, Filius et Spiritus Sanctus. Amen" the Cardinal finished and Jacques redirected his focus at him. The Cardinal was an unforeseen setback to his plans. With him present in the village, it would be hard to move around freely and organize his followers. Jacques suspected that the very reason of the Cardinal's presence here was because he was hunting for his cult. It had happened in the past, but Jacques had always been one step ahead of his opponents and he would continue to do so. The crowd started shuffling out of the church and Jacques allowed himself to be carried with it. Once outside, he caught sight of the Cardinal's personal guards, heavily armored soldiers bearing the emblem of the Vatican. Leading them was a man also wearing the same armor but without a helmet, showing his bald head and a short beard. Jacques diverted his gaze from the imposing man and moved slightly to the side of the crowd. Jacques suddenly caught sight of one of his followers casually striding down the street. Jacques quickly strode up to that person and whispered a single word in his ear.

"Midnight"

…..

The valley that stretched out beneath Cuzorn was an untouched wilderness. Imposing trees and thick bushes obscured most of the landscape from the eyes of the villagers. Carved into the steep cliff face was a stairwell that led down into the valley. At the bottom of it was a small well that provided fresh water for the village. But that was not everything that the valley kept concealed from curious eyes, for there was also a cave network in the very cliff that Cuzorn rested upon. A few people knew of their existence but old superstition had created the idea that the caves were haunted by ghosts. As such they avoided the caves as much as possible but this belief had given Jacques's cult the perfect hiding place. At the stroke of midnight, dozens of robed people silently moved through the thick undergrowth towards the cave entrances. At first glance one would certainly have not noticed them due to the heavy camouflage that had been applied to them. Deep inside the caves, inside a large dome shaped cavern, Jacques was leading his followers in one of their rituals. All that were present were wearing red robes and had their hoods up to conceal their identities. The cultists formed a circle around Jacques who stood at the front of an altar in the center of the cavern. Of all the people present, he was the only one with his hood down.

"Brothers, I welcome you all to this hasty gathering. I am aware of the trouble this sudden and unplanned gathering may have for some of you but I assure you, the matter that I bring to you cannot wait until the next scheduled meeting" he announced when the last members had arrived.

"As you are all aware of by now, there is a Cardinal from the Vatican in our village. There is no doubt in my mind that he is here in search of us" he continued, pausing to allow the quiet murmur that began in his audience to end.

"But fear not, my children. For we have faced these sort of challenges in the past and have always emerged from them stronger than before. And the devil damn my soul if I am going to let that tradition end now!" he exclaimed, but paused dramatically and feigned thinking about something.

"That is actually a safe bet since he has already damned my soul" he added, causing a few snickers to rise from the crowd.

"However, we must not let our guard down. We must be prepared for this new threat that is already on our doorstep" he continued. But he paused slightly when he heard some strange sounds from the tunnels leading outside. Being half daemon had its advantages in the form of heightened senses as well as superhuman speed, strength and reflexes. Right now his heightened sense of hearing was picking something up. But it was faint so for the moment Jacques did not think much about it and continued with his speech.

"We must be ever vigilant against the Vatican's lapdogs and their ignorant slaves, for they would seek to destroy us and the mighty power that should rightfully sit where the blasted Pope is sitting right now! And so, my faithful followers, I ask of you to…" but suddenly Jacques halted in his speech and strained his hearing to the limit. There was a faint and muffled sound from the tunnel but it was unmistakable for Jacques; the sound of metal sliding from a sheath.

"To arms, my brothers! To arms!" he shouted frantically. The cultists looked puzzled by this outburst but years of service and obedience kicked in and they all rushed to the walls were weapons were hanging. Mere moments later, armored Vatican soldiers rushed into the cavern with a fierce battle cry. The cultists closest to the entrance were mercilessly cut down before they even had time to defend themselves. But thanks to Jacques warning the other cultists had managed to arm themselves in time and now counter-charged the Vatican soldiers.

The combat turned bloody and brutal fast, the Vatican soldiers had the cultists outnumbered and were more heavily armored but the cultists fought back with the fanatical rage of cornered dogs. But soon the Vatican's numbers and skill overpowered the cultists and pushed them back against the walls. The Vatican had lost about ten soldiers so far but had in return killed over two dozen cultists. Jacques had so far not joined the fray but had lurked at the outskirts of it, hoping for a chance to escape, but all the exits were now blocked. The Vatican soldiers advanced menacingly towards the remaining cultists and Jacques.

"Stop!" a voice called from the entrance. Both sides stopped from the commanding tone in the voice and all turned their gaze towards it. Jacques let out a low growl when he stared into the old and shriveled face of Cardinal Armand.

"This madness and heresy must come to an end now! But you do not have to sacrifice your lives for this evil that has corrupted your souls! Surrender now and your lives will be spared and you will all be given a chance of redemption!" Armand said. Jacques could only stare in disgust at the man who dared to denounce the very powers that gave him life. That disgust turned to anger when he saw in the eyes of some of his followers that they were actually considering his offer. Jacques boldly strolled out from the small group of cultists still alive. The Cardinal smiled reassuringly at him, apparently believing that he was going to accept the offer.

"You think you can defeat the divine powers we worship?" Jacques suddenly asked. The Cardinal looked puzzled by this, causing Jacques to smile wickedly.

"Then let us put it to the test" Jacques said before rushing towards the nearest soldier in the blink of an eye and ripped his sword arm from his body and driving the blade straight through his heart. He never even had time to cry out in pain. Before the first body had even begun to fall, Jacques had already wrenched a halberd from the nearest soldier to the left and swung it around in a decapitating strike. Directly after the head was severed Jacques pushed aside the body and rammed the halberd into the stomach of the soldier behind. One soldier came rushing at him from the right and swung his sword clumsily at Jacques who merely dodged it and moved close enough to rip the soldier's throat open with his bare hands. The noise of battle had resumed all around Jacques but he paid these no heed, his eyes were fixed solely on the form of Cardinal Armand at the doors.

With a bestial roar on his lips, Jacques charged towards him. Two soldiers tried to block Jacques's path but the first one was simply smashed aside like a ragdoll while the second one did not even have time to raise his sword before Jacques twisted his head 180 degrees. A crossbowman to the left tried to take a lucky shot at Jacques but he easily caught the arrow and threw it with deadly accuracy into the right eye socket of the crossbowman. A soldier with a two handed axe came at Jacques from behind while a halberdier charged him from the front. Jacques easily sidestepped both combatants, causing the halberdier to accidently impale his comrade in the stomach while the axe swing meant to cleave Jacques instead smashed the halberd. Now without weapon the halberdier backed away from Jacques who rushed forward with inhuman speed and smashed his fist straight through his chest. He then tore out the halberdiers heart with his bare hands.

He paused slightly in his destructive rampant to lick the blood from his fingers and savor the fear emanating from the few soldiers still blocking his path. He gave them a sadistic grin before he once again rushed forward and delivered a punch into the lower jawbone on the closest soldier, causing the neck to break from the violent twist of his head. Jacques snatched up the sword from the dead soldier and sliced up a neck artery in the soldier to the right before reversing his grip on the sword and driving it into the chest of the soldier to the left. Another soldier came at Jacques from the front but he simply leaped right over him. Jacques landed behind the surprised soldier and spun around to grab a tight hold of his neck and twisted.

A soldier with a mace rushed from the left while his comrade rushed from the right with a sword. Jacques moved towards the one with the mace first who tried to crack Jacques' skull open but he nonchalantly caught it with one hand and ripped it from the soldiers grip. The second soldier came up from behind and tried to decapitate Jacques who dodged under the blade and smashed his stolen mace in rapid succession into both his knees. He collapsed with a cry of pain but had not even touched the ground before his spine was broken from a second swing from Jacques. The other soldier had enough time to take three steps back and turn around before his skull was cracked open by Jacques.

The remaining soldiers had now had enough and retreated from Jacques. His robe was drenched in blood but it looked no different from what it did before. He slowly turned to face the Cardinal, who now looked on Jacques with fearful eyes and had his cross held protectively in front of himself. Jacques laughed maniacally at the pathetic protection the Cardinal had while slowly approaching him.

"You think a mere cross will stop me? Ignorant human, such pathetic things only work in fairytales and horror stories" Jacques said contemptuously. Jacques was now just 2 meters from the Cardinal but to his credit he dared to stand his ground. Jacques smiled devilishly at him but suddenly he found his way blocked by the bald-headed Vatican commander he had seen earlier outside the church. The man stared at Jacques, his eyes ablaze with anger and determination.

"Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further, monster!" he snarled at Jacques, who looked quite amused.

"I don't think quoting some bible gibberish will save you or your precious Cardinal" Jacques mockingly said with a huge smile. But that smile faltered when he noticed that the bald man was also smiling.

"No, but this will" he calmly said before drawing forth a pistol from behind his back and aimed it straight at Jacques's chest. Jacques reacted on instincts and dived to the side just when the pistol discharged. The bullet missed his vital organs but hit him straight in the shoulder. Jacques crashed to the floor with a grunt of pain and the Vatican soldiers pounced on him like a pack of scavenging dogs. The first one got his left knee shattered before Jacques took that soldiers sword and drove it into the groin of a second. A halberd suddenly pierced his left shoulder and pinned him to the floor… for about five seconds before Jacques smashed the halberd and jumped up with a savage roar. He grabbed hold of the halberdier and tore the soldier's throat out with his teeth.

A blade suddenly embedded itself in Jacques right leg from behind. He spun around and delivered a punch that shattered the soldier's skull before his leg gave way and he stumbled to the floor again. Another soldier came at him from the front but Jacques grabbed hold of both his legs and broke them like a pair of twigs. Jacques would have savored the soldier's screams of agony if not for the blunt object that suddenly made contact with the back of his head, causing the world to grow dark for Jacques.

…..

In Paris, the crowd cheered as another group of cultists was hanged publically. From the high tower in the Bastille in which Jacques was held imprisoned, he watched with disdain as the ignorant mob kept baying for more blood and death.

"And they call me a monster" he muttered to himself as another group of his followers were dragged to the gallows while the crowd threw insults, rotten fruits, stones and anything else they could get their hands on at them. These 'trials' had gone on for nearly a week with new cultists being hanged every day. It seemed the good Cardinal was very thorough in his quest to rid the Earth of Jacques's followers. What confused Jacques about all of this was why they still kept him alive. He had expected them to butcher him back at the mausoleum after displaying his superior power over lesser mortals, but instead they had dragged him all the way to Paris; even tending to his wounds so that he would not die from blood loss or infection.

When they had finally reached Paris, the Cardinal had practically paraded the few captured cultists through the streets; except for Jacques, who was kept hidden from the public the whole time. He had then been locked up in this isolated tower with no contact with any other prisoner. _At least the view is good,_ he would often think during the long days when his cult was slowly being killed yet he remained alive. Jacques was brought out of his brooding when he heard a key being turned in the lock to his cell. He slowly turned towards the door when it opened, revealing a dozen Vatican soldiers armed to the teeth. He smiled at them as he could practically taste the sweet fear emanating from them.

"Is it my turn now?" Jacques innocently asked while jerking his head towards the window of his cell. The soldiers said nothing, instead approached him cautiously and grabbed his arms and escorted him out of his cell. Jacques did nothing to resist them as he was led deeper into the castle, which actually confused Jacques since the gallows were in the opposite direction. After walking for about ten minutes through identical hallways Jacques was finally brought before a large door guarded by soldiers wearing the uniforms of the Swiss Guard. That fact surprised Jacques since the Swiss Guard served as the Pope's personal bodyguard and security force. If they were here that meant that either the Pope was here, this was for obvious reasons highly unlikely, or someone who was close to the Pope. One of his guards moved forward and whispered something to the Swiss Guard, who immediately stepped aside and opened the doors for Jacques to be escorted through.

The room he was brought into was large but had a gloomy and colorless feeling to it. There was no furniture to speak of, save for a large desk, and the walls were simply made gray stones with no intricate design or beauty on them. The only light in there was provided by a few torches hanging on the walls. At the other end of the room was the large desk with five people sitting at it and Jacques was brought before them and was forced to kneel. He took the chance to scrutinize his 'judges', as he assumed them to be. The one on the far left of Jacques was an elderly man wearing a ridiculous white wig, as well as a pair of glasses. The one next to him was that bald-headed commander from before, looking as cold and impassive as you could get.

Then of course in the center there was the Cardinal Armand du Jean who Jacques did not feel like scrutinizing any further. Seated next to him was what appeared to be a nobleman if you were to judge from his pompous and ornate clothing, not to mention the permanent sneer he wore as he seemed to look down on everyone around him. But the person that really caught Jacques interest was the one seated at the far right of Jacques. He had short brown hair and looked quite uncomfortable where he was since he nervously played with his fingers and seemed to have developed a strong interest in the barren wall to his own left.

"Tomas?" Jacques asked sweetly, causing the man to jump slightly in his chair and turn his head sharply towards Jacques. His face was gaunt and his brown eyes were wide with fear as he looked upon Jacques, his former friend. Jacques smiled warmly at him while glancing back and forth at him and the Cardinal.

"Now I understand how the dim-witted Papal lapdogs were able to locate us so quickly" Jacques said, but there was no trace of anger in his voice. Tomas looked like he was ready to bolt out of the room at a seconds notice.

"Fear not my son. This monster cannot hurt you anymore" the Cardinal assured Tomas after sensing the boy's anxiety. At that, Jacques fixed his gaze on the Cardinal.

"He is right to be fearful. Not of me, but of the powers that we both pledged our very souls to" Jacques said to the Cardinal before returning his gaze to his former comrade.

"I'm very disappointed in you. I took you into my family and gave you a chance to acquire great power, and you just throw it away that easily. Weakling human" Jacques said but once again he did not sound the slightest angry, instead he sounded humorously disappointed.

"This brave man is no weakling. He saw the evil that you really where and was courageous enough to abandon you and seek my help in stopping you" the Cardinal said. Jacques just rolled his eyes.

"Look, can't you just deliver my death sentence and be done with this, I'm late for dinner with my father and his employer!" Jacques burst out irritably.

"I can assure you Jacques, you will not die" the Cardinal responded. Now it was Jacques turn to be left puzzled by his opponent's answer.

"It is clear to us that killing you would not be of use to us, since your death could well enough make you into a martyr among those that oppose the church" the Cardinal said. Jacques heard how the doors opened behind him and a group of people walked in, though he did not turn around to see who it was.

"For this reason, we hereby condemn you to be forgotten instead. You will be imprisoned in a remote part of France were no one will find you, your very name will be erased from history…" the Cardinal said while pausing slightly as a group of four people walked into Jacques line of sight, carrying something with them.

"… and you will be forced to wear this mask for the rest of your life" the Cardinal concluded while indicating the iron mask that was carried by the four people. Jacques stared wide eyed at the mask, not sure if he was supposed to be happy that he would live or angry that he would be forced to wear that forever. Finally he turned back to the Cardinal, this time very angry.

"You should have killed me when you had the chance. You will come to regret this decision. If it is the last thing I do, I swear I will kill you" he hissed at the Cardinal. He made no indication that he had even heard Jacques but instead gestured with his hands for the four people to begin. So they moved towards Jacques with the iron mask held ready.

…..

The storm raged like the wrath of a god on the west coast of France. The rain pounded the land, winds strong enough to break trees swirled around and massive waves smashed against the coast. The sky was covered by dark clouds which blotted out the sun and cast the lands below it into darkness, broken only for a few moments when occasionally a fork of lightning would pierce the sky. But approximately four nautical miles out from the coast rose a small island with a single tower standing on it, defying the strength of the storm with its black stone walls. This place had been an outpost in ancient times and although it was still manned, the tower had started to fall into disrepair due to its remote location. It had never played an important role in history and was never considered important, so no one had ever expected an armored Vatican force to arrive there. The stunned watchmen still manning this outpost had been informed by a bald-headed commander that they were here to leave a prisoner. They were never told the prisoners true name and were instructed to keep him locked up in the tower forever. With that they had dumped a bound man onto the shore and set sail again.

...

How long had it been since that day? Ten years? He could not remember anymore as time passed in his small cell. Prisoner 5601, that was what they called him, for his real name was not known to anyone on this wretched rock. But his jailors had given him a nickname, one that really suited him perfectly; they called him Iron Mask, for he was forced to wear it at all time. Iron Mask himself had almost forgotten his own name, something like jack or jaque. But there was one name that was permanently burned into his memory; Cardinal Armand du Jean. He had sworn that the Cardinal would pay for what he had done and he was going to fulfill that pledge no matter what.

But first he needed to escape this wretched prison and he had been working hard on that point. Even though the Cardinal had broken Iron Mask's cult and destroyed all their gathered knowledge, Iron Mask had memorized many useful spells and rituals. One particular spell that he had memorized was one that you could fake your own death with. It essentially worked that it would 'detach' your soul from your body and shut off all the vital organs. You can still control your body so you can walk and talk as normal but your body will be, to all intents and purposes, dead. Of course, your body becomes paralyzed when you use the spell but it wears off after an hour or two. When you later break the spell your body begins to once again function properly. The spell however does not come without a risk. So far about twenty people throughout history had used this spell; only one of them had survived the ordeal.

Iron Mask was very hesitant to use this spell, given how volatile it was. But he was out of options, it was either the spell or rot away in this pathetic little cell of his. The storm still raged outside and drowned out all other sounds but Iron Mask was certain that no one was even near his cell at the moment. They all probably huddled together somewhere in the tower and prayed to their pathetic god. It was now or never for Iron Mask, so he kneeled in the center of his cell and began chanting the spell. The ancient daemonic words spilled out from his mouth like a stream of guttural curses. If anyone would have listened to them, they would cause the hair on your back to stand on end. But as Iron Mask kept chanting, a small whisper seemed to join in and soon more whispered voices joined in and chanted with Iron Mask. The very air around him seemed to crackle with dark and barely controlled energy. Sweat started forming on his brow as stiffness and pain started forming in his limbs, yet he continued chanting in the same strong voice.

The darkness deepened in his cell and Iron Mask could feel ancient and malevolent eyes peering at him from beyond the mortal world, curious as to whom it could be that dared to try to harness but a fraction of the energy from their world. Iron Mask's voice became more labored as he felt his body violently reacting to the corrupting magic he was channeling into his body. His heart rate accelerated to the point that Iron Mask thought that it would any minute explode from his chest. He felt his lungs painfully constrict themselves as the very air seemed to be sucked out from him, but not once did he falter in his chanting. Finally Iron Mask concluded the spell and the pent up energy in the air around him seemed to be sucked right into him. He was smashed to the floor and was soon in violent convulsions as his body tried to reject the evil magic that was shutting it off. He tried to scream in pain but no sound would come out from his tortured throat. He fervently clawed at the stone floor as his body was consumed by pain. Finally Iron Mask lay still and his body began to 'die'. The darkness once again receded to their corners while Iron Mask could faintly hear the sound of daemonic laughter echoing in his small cell.

…..

After another hour the storm ended, having spent all its furious energy. Sunlight once again warmed the land but it would not last long as the day was almost over. The sun was already starting to disappear behind the horizon. The watchmen at the tower did a quick sweep of the small island to see if anything had washed up on the cliffs before continuing their daily routine. The captain sent one of his men to check up on the prisoner. But when he got there, all he found was a stiff corpse; or so he believed. Iron Mask would have smiled at that moment if he had been able to, his body was still paralyzed. That look of pure shock on the young soldiers face was priceless for Iron Mask. The soldier stumbled back out of Iron Mask's cell and ran away, probably to fetch the captain. All that was left for Iron Mask was to wait in his deathlike state until he could move his body again, then he would escape this damned island and finish off the Cardinal. It did not take long for the soldier to return with the captain and a handful of other soldiers.

"See, I told you he was dead" the young soldier said. The captain looked thoughtful for a while before addressing his men.

"Alright, you take the body and dump it outside while I write a letter to inform somebody of his death" he said before walking away. The remaining soldiers picked up Iron Mask's body and carried it outside where they unceremoniously threw his body in a secluded part of the island and then simply walked away. Soon Iron Mask was left alone and all that was left now was for the paralysis to wear off. Iron Mask decided to pass the time by thinking up all the horrendous ways he could kill the Cardinal and his lackeys. Suddenly he heard a croaking sound to his right. He could not move his head or his eyes yet but he could make out what looked like a crow at the edge of his vision. _What the hell does it want,_ Iron Mask thought irritably but then he noticed that more crows were gathering around him. He was starting to get an uncomfortable feeling from seeing all the crows that were starting to swarm around him.

At that moment a crow landed on his chest and seemed to stare straight into his eyes. For several moments Iron Mask and the crow had their gazes locked onto each other, then the crow started picking on his body. Taking that as their cue, every other crow swarmed Iron Mask and started picking his body. Now Iron Mask realized with growing horror what the crows wanted, they wanted to eat him. On reflexes he tried to smash the crows away but his arms would not even twitch. Even though Iron Mask knew it was pointless, he still tried to move his body in an effort to make the birds go away. _Get away you corpse-eating defilers_, Iron Mask tried to shout but neither his tongue nor his mouth would move to produce the words. There was nothing Iron Mask could do but wait in despair as the crows ravaged his body.

…..

If Iron Mask could weep he would have drowned in his own tears by the time the crows were finished with him. There was nothing but bones left of his body except for his head which had been protected by the iron mask. As the sun dipped behind the horizon and plunged the world into darkness, Iron Mask discovered a new depth of despair and hopelessness that he had never experienced. This time there was no spell that could save him and there was no one that would come and save him. Iron Mask was just about ready then to end the spell, thereby ending his own life since his body was destroyed. At that moment however, he noticed that one crow was still remaining. It was perched atop a stone and was staring at him. Iron Mask fixated on the crow with his most intense and hateful glare, as if hoping that by staring hard enough he could make the crow burst into flame.

But as the two kept their stares locked with each other, Iron Mask's vision started blurring for him. It only lasted for a few seconds but when his vision cleared again he was not looking at a black crow anymore, he was staring at a skeleton with an iron mask. Iron Mask was completely dumbstruck by what he saw and he closed his eyes. When he opened them again he was once again staring at the crow. To say that Iron Mask was confused by then would have been the strongest understatement. A thought suddenly struck him and he carefully reached out with his magical senses and touched the essence of the crow. What he discovered was that its essence was not only dead, it was a corrupted replica of his own daemonic essence. Iron Mask suddenly understood what was happening; the crows had eaten his flesh, but it had been tainted by daemonic energy. That energy must have transferred itself from his digested flesh into the crow's bodies and corrupted them, thereby creating a link between himself and them.

Intrigued by this turn of events, Iron Mask decided to test this link out. He focused hard, imagining all the crows returning to him. He waited for about one minute until the crows were once again swarming around him. Iron Mask would have been exalted by this if only his body was still in one piece. Unintentionally he thought of how good it would be if only his flesh was restored. But as that though formed in his mind, the crows suddenly sprang into action. They all flocked him and covered his skeletal remains under a living carpet of crows. This caught him by surprise as he had no idea what they were doing. But then he saw that the crows were starting to melt, first only one or two but soon more were turning into what looked like liquid darkness. Iron Mask looked on in curiosity as his bones were covered by this strange darkness. He propped himself up on his elbows to get a better look, but stopped suddenly when the implication struck him; he had moved his arms!

He looked upon his arms in alarm and saw that the liquid darkness had solidified into a new pair of arms for him. He looked upon the rest of his body and saw the same thing; the darkness had rebuilt his body, with black clothes and everything.

"It's not possible!" he whispered to himself in wonder. He stood back up on his feet and took a moment to admire his body. Everything looked so real; the black leather clothes, the slightly tanned skin and even the worn nails. He flexed his fingers in front of his face to make sure that it was real. _If only I had more crows like these,_ he thought happily. In answer to his thought, he soon found himself standing in the middle of a maelstrom of crows. He stared in amazement at the thousands of crows that came at his command. Finally grasping what great powers that had been bestowed upon him, Iron Mask laughed in madness and joy. His laughter echoed across the small island and it sent the watchmen manning the tower running for their little makeshift chapel as they believed the devil himself stood at their door.

…..

It was only a few minutes to midnight but despite the late hour, there was still activity in a mansion on the French countryside. In the large and luxurious library, four people were gathered. Standing at a bookshelf in the far side of the library, seemingly deeply scrutinizing its contest, was a bald headed man in full armor and bearing the emblem of the Swiss Guard. Seated in the middle of the room in comfortable leather armchairs next to a coffee table was an elderly man with a white wig wearing a pair of glasses and a richly dressed nobleman, both of them were engaged in a conversation about taxation. Finally, standing next to the open fireplace was a middle-aged man dressed as a monk with his brown hair in a monk haircut. All of them were waiting anxiously for the last person to arrive; the one that had requested this meeting. No one in the room was speculating what this meeting was about, for there was but one thing everyone in this room had ever had in common.

At that moment, the doors were opened by an elderly butler who graciously stepped aside to let the last guest to enter; Cardinal Armand du Jean. He had aged quite a bit and the telltale marks were plainly visible with his gray hair, his wrinkled face, his sunken eyes and his hunched posture. He slowly walked in and the butler closed the door behind him but remained inside to attend to any requests the guests would have. The other four people in the room turned their full attention to the Cardinal who despite his weak exterior seemed to fill the room with his aura of authority.

"I take it you all want to know about the information I received just a few days ago. It is very simple, Jacques DeMonde is dead. So from now on his name is forbidden from ever being uttered again, all proof of his very existence shall be erased and his crimes shall be forgotten. History and the rest of the world will never know of his existence" the Cardinal explained. A mixture of relief and puzzlement came over the gathered people. The monk clad man at the fireplace was the one to address the puzzlement that they all shared.

"With all due respect Cardinal Armand, but would it have not been easier to just send this information with a letter to us instead of requesting this meeting?" he asked, causing the other three to nod their heads in agreement. What they did not expect was to see the equally puzzled face that the Cardinal got from that news.

"I did not set this meeting up, Tomas. I received a letter, stating that you all were gathering here to discuss this incident and requested my presence" the Cardinal explained. Everyone in the room looked at one another for clarification bit none of them could.

"If you did not set this meeting up, who did?" Tomas asked no one in particular. Just then, the clock struck midnight and a soft knock was heard on the door. The butler in the library stepped towards the door and opened it, only to stare into the horror stricken face of his dead colleague. The body collapsed into the library but before the butler even had time to register it, a hooded man in black clothes swept in and rammed a sword through his chest. Everyone else in the room was frozen in shock, except for the bald-headed commander who drew his sword and charged towards the mysterious assassin. In response, the assassin pulled out a pistol and fired it straight at the commander. The bullet shattered his left knee and he collapsed with a painful cry to the floor. The mystery man nonchalantly pulled out his sword from the lifeless butler's chest and closed the door behind him.

"Please gentlemen, take a seat and relax. This is my meeting and it would be highly rude of me to force you all to stand" he said in obviously faked politeness. No one in the room made a move, causing the mysterious figure to chuckle slightly.

"So you are the one that requested this meeting in the first place!" Tomas exclaimed suddenly as he took a few bold steps forward. The mysterious figure stared intently at him. Even though Tomas could not see his face behind the shadow of the hood, he could still feel the man's cold and hateful eyes drilling right into him and seemingly burning his very soul. Tomas backed up fearfully, only stopping when his back came into contact with the wall.

"Yes, it was me. I thought it was fitting that you all were gathered here for this moment" the mysterious man said.

"And what moment would that be, if I may ask?" the Cardinal spoke out. The mysterious man turned his head towards him and chuckled slightly.

"Well I thought it would be obvious. This is the moment were I fulfill the promise I made to you all in Paris eleven years ago!" he said. He then reached up with his hands and pulled back his hood to reveal the iron mask he wore over his head. At first they all looked confused by this but then they started piecing the information together. Eleven years ago, Paris, a promise and an iron mask. As the truth dawned to the assembled people, the very air seemed to be knocked out of their lungs as none of them even made a peep.

"Jacques?" Tomas asked weakly. When hearing this, Jacques burst out laughing while slapping his knees.

"Yes, know I remember my name! Jacques, it has been so long since that name was uttered I had practically forgotten about it!" he said cheerfully. But as suddenly as his good mood appeared it vanished and his earlier dark demeanor returned. Jacques turned his eyes towards the Cardinal, channeling all his hatred into the glare.

"But I never forgot your name, Cardinal Armand du Jean. For ten years all I could think of was how I would make you pay for destroying my cult. And since my early release, I have spent a year tracking you all down and making preparations for this day" he hissed at him.

"How can you even be here? We were told you were dead!" the Cardinal said, finally finding the will to speak. Once again Jacques laughed, his earlier anger seemingly gone like it had not even existed. Instead of answering the Cardinal, he raised his sword and pointed it at the Cardinal who involuntarily took a few steps back. But suddenly Jacques reversed the grip on his sword and plunged it straight into his own heart. The gathered people let out a collective gasp, except for the bald headed commander who had nearly fainted from the pain and the blood loss, but Jacques himself did not even twitch from that. After a few moments, when they realized that the blade was still in Jacques's heart but he himself was still standing, they all looked at him as he was the devil incarnate.

"It's not possible!" the Cardinal said fearfully while raising his cross like a shield in front of himself. Jacques began to snicker slightly but gradually it rose it strength.

"Oh, I can guarantee you; this is very possible!" he said between the snickers. Suddenly he burst out in a truly evil and psychotic laugh that chilled all of them to the bone.

"AND IF YOU THINK THIS IS SICK, WAIT UNTIL YOU SEE HOW YOU WILL ALL DIE!" Jacques shouted at them while laughing hysterically. In answer to that statement, every window was shattered by thousands of crow pouring into the library at their master's call. The people gathered did not even have time to recover from their chock before they were swarmed by their feathered killers.

"And for your information, Jacques DeMonde is no more. I am hereby known as Iron Mask!" Iron Mask said seconds before his guests were buried under a living carpet of crows, then came the screams of pain. But above the screams and croaking's, the sound of an immortal madman laughing echoed across the mansion.


	11. Chapter 11: You are not a Titan

Jump City

Present day

"_Bel _story, don't you agree?" Iron Mask asked sweetly while wiping away an imaginary tear from his left eye. Raven simply stared at him like he had just turned into the most disgusting thing in the world.

"Though one _effet secondaire_ of the spell was that this iron mask was fused with my head, making it _impossible_ for me to remove it. A shame since you will never get a _chance_ to behold my handsome face" he added.

"So you've been a murderous nutcase all of your life. Geez, who would have thought that?" Raven answered sarcastically. That only caused Iron Mask to laugh which agitated Raven even further. She tried to gather whatever energy she had left to at least push off the clones holding her down but they seemed to guess what she was doing and one of them twisted her left arm painfully, causing her focus to break. She hissed slightly from the pain but at least stopped herself from crying out.

"Trying to _provoquer_ me into _combattre _you again? Raven, I've told you already that I'm not your _ennemi. _I have no _intention_ of killing you" Iron Mask said. Deciding that she would not get anywhere in resisting him, Raven decided to keep this discussion going until her friends came to rescue her.

"_If they even care enough to come and rescue you" _the voice whispered in her head. Raven cringed slightly from its venomous tone before addressing Iron Mask.

"Then if you're not here to kill me, what do you want?" she asked cautiously. There was silence for a while after her question and Raven was starting to think that Iron Mask would not answer her.

"Like I told you in the mine; I'm _curieux _about you. You obviously have great _pouvoir _in you, far greater than the _pathétique _mortals living in this equally _pathétique _city. Yet you remain a slave to them, and I can't help but _questionner_ why?" Iron Mask suddenly said. Raven's anger flared up when he referred to her as a slave. On instinct she tried to repress it and remain emotionless but found that she was unable to. It was as if something in her was deliberately pushing her anger to the surface and preventing her from pushing it back down.

"_You want to kill him, don't you my dear Raven?" _the voice asked smoothly in her head. She bit back a retort to the voice and focused solely on Iron Mask.

"I am no slave! I'm a member of the Teen Titans who protect this city from madmen like you!" she snarled at him. At first Iron Mask did not answer but suddenly he burst out into the so far strongest fit of laughter, nearly doubling over from it. Raven's whole body now twitched in barely controlled anger. Any clear-headed person who knew about Raven's powers would at that moment ask themselves why the warehouse was still in one piece when Raven's emotions were this strong now. But thanks to a certain French immortal with his taunting question and another certain voice in her head with a well-tuned knowledge of how to keep her off balance, Raven's head was anything but clear. Finally Iron Mask's laughter subsided.

"Not a slave you say? Are you denying the truth or are you just blind?" Iron Mask asked. Raven did not feel like answering so Iron Mask continued.

"You keep the _ressortissants_ of this city safe, you _protéges_ them from evil and you _combats_ the things that they cannot _combattent_ on their own. But at the end of the day what do you _obtenir_ from them, do they thank you for saving them, do they show you any _gratitude_ for risking your life for them?" he asked her. At the moment, Raven felt more like tearing his throat out than talking to him, but something compelled her to answer him. Whether it was pride or a need to defend herself was anyone's guess.

"The city is grateful for the work the Teen Titans do to protect them from…" she began but was rudely cut off by Iron Mask.

"I'm not asking if they show _gratitude_ to the Teen Titans, I'm asking if they show _gratitude_ to **you**! You, the one that's been _étiquetés_ as 'the creepy goth chick' of the team" he carefully explained to her. Raven opened her mouth to give her response but quickly closed it when she realized that she had no response. He was right, the people adored most of her teammates but Raven was mostly left in the background. But that was something she had partly chosen since she was not very keen to mingle with a fan base, so why did she suddenly feel so hurt and betrayed by it?

"Do you see now, your actions are barely _remarqués_ in this city. Also, this team that you're part of, who is its _patron_? Oh, that's right, a _pathétique _mortal!" he exclaimed, as if he was trying to teach a very stubborn student the same solution for the tenth time. But that statement set Raven off.

"Shut up! You don't know what you're talking about!" she yelled at him.

"That's so? Correct me if I'm _incorrect_, but is it not so that this Robin has no _pouvoirs_ whatsoever? And furthermore, has he not in the past _ignoré_ both the very laws he claims to _défendre_ and the _sécurité_ of his own teammates?" Iron Mask asked, though it was mostly meant as a rhetorical question. Although Raven hated to admit it, he was in some ways right. But she would not tolerate this psychopath lecturing her on her team's faults.

"Who are you to condemn him? Of all the people on this Earth, you are the last one who has the right to criticize us. You're the very thing we stand against!" Raven said in a slow but deadly voice. Iron Mask stared at her thoughtfully for a while before resuming the conversation.

"If that's true, then you're an _ennemie _of the Teen Titans as well" he simply said to her. He probably could not have shaken her up more even if he had suddenly decided to shoot himself. When registering the shock and confusion from his captive audience, Iron Mask elaborated.

"We are both the same, Raven. We were born of evil's fire, as the _diction_ goes, and we were _signifiait_ for greater things in this world than following a _groupe_ of teenage misfits around like a stray dog looking for _nourriture_ and shelter" he explained. Raven felt her whole body tremble from a deadly mixture of depression and rage when hearing this. She kept clenching and unclenching her hands as she tried to find something to vent all her boiled up emotions on.

"_He's right you know. Your friends are nothing to you and you are nothing to your friends"_ the voice said to her. Raven gritted her teeth and tried to push the clones off her with no success.

"And _personnellement_ I can't see why you would stay with such a _pathétique_ group in the first place. Are you so desperate to have _copains_ around you that you're willing to trade your _dignité_ for being a simple tool for your so called teammates?" Iron Mask continued, either obvious to or ignoring Raven's increasing emotional distress. She could not prevent her negative emotions from surfacing with incredible ferocity. All she wanted right now was to tear Iron Mask to pieces. In fact she wanted to tear _anything _apart, just as long as it could scream and bleed.

"Just how can you stand lowering yourself to the _point_ of befriending someone like that _imbécile_ Beast boy? He has no _compréhension_ of your true _personne_ and I swear to Satan, I have never before seen a more dimwitted _créature_ in my existence. He truly is a beast" he continued. Raven was now realizing that her powers would not respond to her emotions but she was nearly praying that they would. She did not care if she demolished the whole dock, just as long as she could kill Iron Mask.

"Stop it" Raven weakly said but Iron Mask ignored her.

"And that alien Starfire, the very _personnification_ of naivety. How did you _expecté _that the two of you would ever be able to become _copaines_? She's a despicable _créature_ from the eyes of a daemon like you and me. And don't tell me you have not thought the same thing" Iron Mask continued.

"Stop it" Raven repeated with more force.

"And that walking scrapheap Cyborg, he's restrained by the useless chains of _technologie_. You're part of the world of _sorcellerie_, a world that he will never even _comprendre_. His strength is _restreint_ to the so called laws of _science_" Iron Mask continued unabated.

"Stop it!" Raven repeated, her voice getting a sharp and deadly tone to it.

"Why don't you _réalises_ the truth Raven? You don't belong with such _pathétique_ mortals. They can't truly care for you either. They keep you around for when they need someone with more _pouvoir_ than themselves to _combattre_ the really tough villains. But trust me, when they no longer need you they will _rejeter_ you. Just like everyone else in your life" Iron Mask finally concluded his long speech of criticizing the Teen Titans. But now Raven had had enough.

"STOP IT!" she roared in anger and her powers, which had previously been mysteriously restrained, were now unleashed like a raging beast from its leach. Her entire body glowed with black energy before it exploded outwards with an ear-shattering boom. The trio of clones pinning her down was instantly vaporized but Iron Mask had enough time to summon his crows and make them form a shield between himself and the blast. The crows were also utterly destroyed by the black shockwave but they wore it down enough that when it hit Iron Mask he was simply hurled back, though it still hit him with the force of a train going at full speed. He was smashed through pile after pile of crates until he vanished from sight in the vast warehouse.

Raven was on all four, drawing in ragged breaths as she tried to suppress her emotions which were still raging in her. She tried to stand up but found that hard since she had unwillingly spent too much of her energy in that panicked attack. When she finally managed to stand back up again, she was not surprised to find Iron Mask strolling towards her along the trail he had created with his speeding body.

"Was it something I said?" he asked ironically. Raven just glared daggers at him but she made no move to attack, in her current state she would just get beaten up badly.

"But _sérieusement_ Raven, you must see the truth by now. You are not a Teen Titan, and you never were" Iron Mask said solemnly before another swarm of crows dived towards him and obscured him from view. They then dispersed and Iron Mask himself was gone. Raven stared at the spot that had been previously occupied by Iron Mask for a while before she started to limp towards the warehouse exit. On the outside Raven seemed calm and emotionless but her eyes were another matter. They were ablaze with pure rage, but against what no one knew; not even herself.

…..

"Get down!" Robin shouted frantically as another rocket flew straight at them. Beast boy gave a girlish shriek before turning into a bat and flying away while Starfire grabbed Cyborg and flew up. Robin ran straight towards the rocket but at the last minute he jumped right over it. He heard the rocket detonate against something behind him but had no time to check it out as he dived behind a pillar to avoid the shower of bullets coming his way. _Man he sure came prepared, _Robin thought. It seemed that the Hunter had brought a whole weapon arsenal with him and had hidden the different weapons all over the mall, giving him easy access to a wide variety of weapons without having to carry them around. Standing behind a railing on the third floor, the Hunter was currently keeping Robin pinned down with his pair of dual wielding Uzis after depleting all the ammunition to his rocket launcher. His earlier cloak had been destroyed in the fight and he was clad underneath it in a body stocking with armor plates on his legs and arms and he had a green colored Kevlar.

But he instinctively jumped to the side when a shadow appeared above him. The Hunter got back up on his feet just when the large green gorilla landed where he had stood seconds earlier. The Hunter fired the last bullets in his Uzis at Beast boy but hit nothing but air as he had morphed into a snake and was slithering towards the Hunter. The Hunter had no time to react before Beast boy turned into a ram and slammed straight into his gut. The Hunter landed a few feet away but was instantly back on his feet and he pulled out an explosive disc from his belt and threw it at Beast boy. He simply morphed into a hawk and flew to the side but he did not see that the Hunter had pulled out a gun. He fired off a single shot not at Beast boy but at the disc just as it past right next to Beast boy, causing to explode right in his face.

Luckily Beast boy managed to morph into a turtle at the last second and his shell absorbed most of the blast but he was still flung away. But the Hunter had no time to celebrate as a sonic blast hit him in the side and he was smashed into a wall. Starfire flew low enough to deposit Cyborg on the same floor as the Hunter. Cyborg grinned cockily at the Hunter while aiming his sonic cannon at him. But the Hunter pressed a button on his belt, causing him to turn invisible. Cyborg fired a sonic blast at where the Hunter was supposed to be but hit nothing but concrete. Next thing he knew, what felt like an armored knee made contact with his stomach seconds before a knife got a lucky hit in a weak point in his armor and embedded itself in his shoulder. Cyborg collapsed on his right knee and swung his left arm in a wide arc to drive back the Hunter.

Robin had by then used a grappling hook to reach Cyborg and he caught sight of a minor distortion in the air, like when you look through a clear piece of glass. That was all the direction Robin needed and he threw one of his birdarangs and it made contact with a solid object. There was a few sparks before the Hunter suddenly became visible again, as it turned out that the birdarang had scored a direct hit on the cloaking device on his belt. Starfire took the opening and pelted the Hunter with starbolts. The Hunter was forced back by the remorseless barrage but he pulled out his gun again and returned fire. Starfire was driven back by the Hunters more accurate fire but Robin came at him with his metal boo staff. Robin knocked the gun from his hand and swept his boo staff at the Hunters feet.

The staff connected with the Hunters right leg just as he brought his other leg up and smashed it straight into Robins face. Robin fell backwards but the Hunter nimbly turned his fall so he landed on his hands and knees before jumping back up. In his quick movements he had managed to retrieve his gun and opened fire on Robin who at least managed to roll sideways to avoid major damage, but a few bullets graced his arms. Before Robin could recover, the Hunter closed the distance between them and planted his left boot on Robin's chest while aiming his gun straight at his head. He was about to pull the trigger when he was hit by a sonic and starbolt combo and was sent flying over the railing to crash into the first floor. Robin took the chance to climb back on his feet while using his staff as support. Starfire was instantly at his side.

"Are you alright?" she asked.

"I'm fine Star" Robin answered instead. Beast boy had by then rejoined the team and he quickly made his way towards them.

"Sure as hell could have used Raven's shields now, don't you agree Robin?" Cyborg said. Whether he was making an observation or if he was implying something was unclear. Robin chose to believe it was the former and ignored him.

"Hey guys, I think that Hunter dude is down for the count!" Beast boy suddenly yelled to them. They all moved to stand next to him to see what he meant. And it appeared that he was correct because the Hunter as currently trying to crawl away from them, his right leg twisted in an unnatural angle and he kept hissing and grunting in pain. Robin used a grappling hook to reach the first floor and was followed by his teammates. Even though the Hunter seemed to be beaten, they knew better than to let their guard down.

"It's over now, give it up and we won't have to beat you up even more" Robin calmly explained to the Hunter, who in turn gave Robin his most hateful glare. Or at least that was what the Teen Titans thought he did since they could not see anything of his face due to the gasmask. But the standoff was broken when every window overhead shattered and thousands of crows swarmed the mall. The Titans looked around in confusion and alarm as they found themselves surrounded by the crows. Starfire, Cyborg and Beast boy were all uncertain what this meant and were hesitant to attack. Robin however had seen this before and the prospect of experiencing it again was not something he relished.

"It seems I _arrive_ just in time to save your sorry ass" Iron Mask said as he walked out of the swarm of crows to stand next to the Hunter. The Hunter did not answer, instead struggled back to his feet. Although he had to lean against Iron Mask for support.

"I take it the mission was a failure then?" the Hunter asked.

"On the contrary, _mon cher ami_, it was a complete success" Iron Mask answered. The hunter looked at him in what looked like skepticism but kept quiet. Robin had then had enough and threw a pair of birdarangs at the pair. Several crows dived into their path and the birdarangs did never even come close to hitting their targets. Iron Mask turned towards the Titans, as if only now noticing their presence.

"Now that's very _rude_ of you. Can't you see that the _adultes_ are trying to have a discussion here?" he asked irritably.

"How did you survive the explosion? Raven saw you dead!" Robin said, anger and curiosity mixing in his voice.

"Who said I did survive?" Iron Mask mockingly asked. Robin's eyes widened for a split second before he recovered his wits. The rest of the Titans were still uncertain how to proceed. Normally they would have attacked since it was clear that the newcomer was not friendly, but they hesitated when seeing that Robin did not make a move.

"Yo, Rob. Is that the crow psycho you beat in the mines?" Cyborg asked. Robin just nodded slightly.

"Well, as _amusant_ as it has been to meet all of you in _personne_, we are in a bit of a hurry here" Iron Mask said. In answer to his statement, all the crows flew around Iron Mask and the Hunter and obscured them from view.

"_Au revoir, mes amis" _Iron Mask said through the swarm of crows. Then the crows dispersed but Iron Mask and the Hunter were gone.

...

The journey back to Titans was in silence. The team was in quite a bad mood, especially Robin. Sure, they had beaten the Hunter in the end but not only had he gotten away, he had help in escaping from someone who was supposed to be dead and he had even admitted that he had been nothing more than a diversion to separate them from Raven. Robin had of course tried to contact Raven the moment the situation was solved at the mall but had received no reply. Thankfully Cyborg had been able to track her communicator and found that it was moving towards Titans Tower. When the team finally got back to the tower they found Raven hovering at the entrance and was about to enter. She never got the chance to go in before Starfire, with a speed that startled everyone, had exited the car and flown straight up to Raven to embrace her in one of her infamous bone-crushing hugs.

"Oh dear friend Raven! It is most joyous to see you unharmed! When you did not answer our call, we feared the worst!" She happily exclaimed. Raven did not respond, she was too busy trying both to breathe and to stop herself from killing Starfire. Physical contact had never been her thing and after her little 'chat' with Iron Mask she was in desperate need to vent her anger and frustration on something.

"_Why do resist your own desires? Surely she wouldn't mind a broken bone or two if it helped you to calm down?" _the voice asked in a sweet and innocent tone. Thankfully Robin intervened before Raven did something she would later regret.

"Starfire, I think that Raven would want to breathe again" Robin said while smiling slightly. Starfire smiled sheepishly while releasing Raven. Robin's smile instantly vanished after that and his usual grim appearance returned.

"Raven, what happened?" he asked. Raven did not answer him, simply stared at him with that emotionless face of hers. It was during times like these when Robin wished that Raven could express her emotions more freely, at least he could then determine her state of mind much better. As it was, trying to find a hint of emotion from her was like looking for light in a void.

"I need some herbal tea" Raven said before turning sharply around and headed into the tower. No, Robin had been somewhat wrong when he thought that he could not receive an emotional response from Raven. There had been one thing that he had barely noticed; she seemed highly tense and on alert. Not seeing a better option, Robin followed her. The others seemed to reach the same conclusion. When the team reached the living room Raven directly made her way towards the kitchen. Beast boy half dragged himself to the couch and slumped into it.

"Oh boy, I really need some slack time now" Beast boy said before turning the TV on and started flipping through the channels in search of something worth watching.

"Whatever man. I'm going to fix up my body" Cyborg said from the doorway before heading back into the corridor.

"I believe that I need to feed Silkie now" Starfire said before she flew over to the fridge, grabbed some weird looking Tamaranian food and darted out of the living room. That left only Raven and Robin in the room, plus Beast boy but he seemed to be in a different world all together as he nearly mindlessly flipped from channel to channel. Robin saw this as the perfect chance to continue the discussion he tried to initiate outside. He walks up to stand behind her in the kitchen and leaning against the counter. Raven did not turn around to face him even though she knew he was there.

"I thought that you said that Iron Mask had died" Robin said but as soon as the words left his mouth he kicked himself mentally. _Way to go,_ he thought grimly, _starting this whole conversation by throwing accusations at her!_ But Raven did not seem concerned by it in the slightest.

"Yes, that was what I thought at first" she simply responded.

"Would it surprise you then that we ended up fighting him today?" Robin asked. Okay, fighting was an overstatement since he had only popped out of nowhere and slipped away with the Hunter.

"No" was all Raven said. Robin frowned slightly.

"What do you mean?" he asked. For the first time in their discussion, Raven turned her head slightly so she could look at Robin.

"Who do you think I ended up fighting against?" she responded. Robin's eyes widened and he nearly fell over from surprise. Seemingly sensing Robin's alarm, which she probably did, Raven hastily assured him that she was unharmed. That seemed to calm him down somewhat. But unknown to either of them, Beast boy had by now lost interest in the TV and was listening intently to what they were talking about.

"Why didn't you call for back-up? Last time we faced that monster he nearly killed both of us" Robin exclaimed, sounding almost angry. Raven turned her head towards the kettle in front of her again before answering.

"I figured you had your hands full with Slade" she said. That was at least partially true but another factor was because she had wanted to tear that bastard to bits without interference from her friends. Robin was a little confused for a second or two before he remembered that Raven was still not aware that the whole Slade situation had all been trap and a diversion to separate them up.

"Still, why didn't you respond when we called you?" he continued. Raven just shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess my communicator was malfunctioning since I didn't receive a call" she answered. That was a complete lie since she had heard very clearly when Robin had tried to reach her. But after her little 'discussion' with Iron Mask, she had been in no mood to talk to anyone so she had simply ignored her communicator. Robin seemed satisfied with the answer.

"It was really bad that you had to head out on your own" Robin said.

"Why so?" Raven asked. She expected that he would now tell her that he should have sent support or that she could have waited for them.

"Well, the enemy we faced was quite tough and we could have used your help there instead of…" Robin began but he stopped when he noticed that Raven tensed up. He had somehow hit a nerve, he just knew it, but how and what was something that Robin could not guess.

"_They can't truly care for you either. They keep you around for when they need someone with more pouvoir than themselves to combat the really tough villains_" that line kept playing over and over in Raven's head after what Robin said. Her anger was once again starting to bubble up to the surface. The kettle in front of her was whistling strongly now and steam was spraying out of it but Raven no longer cared for her tea. Raven realized that if she stayed here she would undoubtedly do something very unpleasant. She sharply turned around and swept past a confused Robin without even glancing at him before exiting the living room. Robin meanwhile was too stunned to move.

"Dude, what did you say to her to make her that angry?" Beast boy suddenly asked, having had a perfect view of the whole event from the couch.

"I have no idea" was all Robin could say. There were a few moments of awkward silence after that statement.

"I'll go talk to her" Beast boy suddenly said while jumping up from the couch and striding towards the doors.

"Are you sure about it? She looked really angry, maybe we should give her some time to cool off?" Robin asked. Beast boy stopped momentarily to turn towards Robin.

"Well I think that someone should talk to her and I seriously doubt that you're the best option here" Beast boy said before exiting the living room. He quickly made his way down the corridor and up a stair until he reached Raven's room. As he stood in front of the door to Raven's room he hesitated somewhat. Beast boy had a tendency to irritate Raven with his goofy attitude and bad jokes. He started wondering if it was very smart of him to come and try to talk with her. But as he stood and debated whether to knock on the door or not, he heard Raven's voice from inside and it sounded like she was talking to someone. He put his ear to the door to better hear what was said.

"… and I can't believe that all Robin cared about was how I could have supported him in his fight!" Beast boy heard Raven yell in her room. There were a few moments of silence after that.

"What? No, that can't be true. They would never do such a thing!" Raven said frantically. Beast boy meanwhile was starting to wonder who Raven was talking to since her voice was the only one he heard.

"No, I won't do such a thing so shut up and leave me alone!" Raven yelled angrily. Beast boy decided he had heard enough by then.

"Raven, you in there?" he asked while knocking on the door. There was the sound of shuffling feet behind the door before Raven opened it slightly so only half her face was visible. She had her hood up and she looked on Beast boy with a cold gaze that sent shivers down his spine.

"What?" she asked with a highly irritated tone. Beast boy shook off his earlier unease and tried to start a conversation.

"Hey, I noticed that you and Robin got in a little fight and I wondered if you're all right" Beast boy said.

"I'm fine" was all Raven said. Beast boy however was not to be deterred that easily and he pressed on.

"You sure about it? 'cause you looked really mad when you left" Beast boy said. Raven remained impassive.

"By the way, is there someone in there with you? I thought I heard you talk to someone" Beast boy added while trying to peek behind her. That got a reaction from Raven in the form of her only visible eye widening in what Beast boy assumed was chock or alarm. Raven's eye then narrowed at Beast boy.

"You heard wrong, there is no one in here and I wasn't talking to anyone. Now leave!" Raven hissed at Beast boy before slamming the door closed straight in his face. Beast boy just stood there for a moment dumbstruck.

"Uhm… okay, see you later then" he eventually said before walking away. Raven meanwhile had barely heard the last he said, she was too deep into her own thoughts. Rage was clawing its way through her and she felt more and more the urge to cause pain to someone, anyone. She focused all her willpower to beat it back into the depths of her soul but it felt like something was pushing it back out. All Raven could do was overcome the destructive urges but she still felt them burning beneath her skin. She slammed the wall next to the door in anger, involuntarily channeling energy into the punch and forming a fist shaped dent in the wall. Yet despite everything that was occurring around her, there was one thought that now struck her and gave her something to focus her energy on. All of this could not be a simple coincidence; the sudden antagonism against her friends, her emotions growing more uncontrollable, her unexplainable inability to harness her power at the warehouse and not to mention the heartbreaking nightmares that had haunted her. There was only one explanation to it; someone or something was tampering with her emotions and powers. That made Raven even angrier. If there was one thing she hated it was when someone was toying with her in this manner.

"_Are you certain that they're 'toying' with you? Could it not be that they're trying to help you?" _the voice said in her head. Its statement left Raven completely clueless as to what it was meaning.

"_If we take your power as an example, could it not be that they're giving you stronger control over it? I mean, just look at your room and tell me if there's something that's different" _the voice said. Raven was unsure what it was implying but she still surveyed her room. She saw nothing that was out of the ordinary, everything was still in their right places. That was when she saw what was wrong; nothing! Her rage had coursed through her violently just moments before but her powers had not played havoc with her room; no levitating objects, no walls covered in dark energy and no vibrations from her powers shaking the room.

"_Do you see now? Would it not be highly beneficial for you to have enough control over your powers that you could freely express your emotions without fear of destroying or hurting anyone? Imagine yourself finally free from all of this; no more meditation, no more isolation and no more slavery to your own parentage" _the voice asked and like a matchstick that was lit in a pitch black room, something dark was ignited in Raven's soul. A desire for the very thing she had craved for all her life but had never before even hoped of obtaining; a way to be free of the chains of her own powers. In light of this revelation, a smile slowly formed on Raven's face as she contemplated all she could accomplish with such control and a dangerous gleam entered her eyes as her hunger for more of this grew. In a dark corner deep within Raven's soul a voice hummed cryptically as it felt Raven's thirst for power evolve.

"_Be patient now, my dear Raven. The fruit always taste sweeter if you allow your anticipation to build up. Besides, the game has only just begun" _the voice said, or rather thought since no words were uttered so that mortal ears could hear them. But in an abandoned warehouse in the outskirts of Jump City, an immortal half daemon both heard and felt it. And beneath his iron mask, he smiled in triumph.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, translation time:<em>

_Bel = beautiful_

_Ressortissants = inhabitants_

_Obtenir = obtain_

_Étiquetés = labeled_

_Remarqués = noticed_

_Signifiait = meant_

_Nourriture= food_

_Personne = self_

_Mon cher ami = my dear friend_

_Au revoir, mes amis = goodbye, my friends_


	12. Chapter 12: We rise, only to fall again

Titans Tower

The following day

Beast boy was sitting at the kitchen table with a plate of tofu in front of him, but by judging the way he kept idly probing it with a fork indicated that he was not very interested in his food. The rest of the team was also gathered at the table with varying dishes, except for Raven who had still not come out of her room. Cyborg and Starfire had at first been a little worried since normally Raven was the first to get up but Robin had told them about their little discussion the other day and so they assumed she just needed some time alone to cool down. Beast boy was not so sure that was the only reason after what he heard from her room the other day. So far he had not told anyone about it, only saying that Raven did not want to talk to him when he went to her room. But he was considering whether he should tell what he had heard to his friends. The reason he had hesitated to tell in the first place was because it somehow felt like he was going behind Raven's back since it was obvious she wanted to keep it a secret. Besides, if she had not told it by herself by now, who was he to reveal it?

But at the same time, Beast boy could easily tell that whatever it was Raven wanted to keep secret it was something unnatural. He could not come up with anything natural that would cause someone as in control as Raven to become easily aggravated and to talk to herself. No, something was definitely wrong with all this and Beast boy came to the conclusion that it would be more harmful to keep quiet about it than to reveal it. He just prayed that he did the right thing.

"Uhh, guys. I need to tell you something" Beast boy said shyly. All the Titans turned their heads towards Beast boy but Robin's and Cyborg's expressions showed mediocre interest, they fully expected that he would pull one of his lame jokes that he seemed to conjure up out of thin air.

"Is it something important?" Robin asked.

"Well, it's about Raven. See, I think that something is not right with her now" Beast boy said. That caught the team's full interest as they looked at Beast boy with inquisitive stares.

"What makes you believe that?" Robin asked. He himself had already noticed that there was something odd with Raven but he still wanted to hear what observations Beast boy had made.

"I noticed something odd when I went to talk to her yesterday" Beast boy said. Cyborg raised an eyebrow at that.

"Didn't you tell us that she didn't want to talk to you?" he asked Beast boy.

"Yes, but before I knocked on her door I heard her talk to someone in her room and by listening to her frantic and angry voice nearly shouting at whoever it was, I guessed that it was not a very pleasant conversation they had" Beast boy explained. Robin immediately perked up and turned to Cyborg.

"Cyborg, did the security systems detect any intruders or visitors in the tower yesterday?" he asked in that authoritarian voice of his. Cyborg immediately activated his internal link with the towers security systems and went through all the necessary information. Finally he cancelled the link and turned his attention back to his friends who were all staring at him expectantly.

"Nothing. There was no trace of anyone other than us in the tower. I also triple checked the data from Ravens room and the result was the same; she was the only one in there", Cyborg said while shaking his head. In light of this information, there was one thought that went through all their minds; was Raven going insane and hearing voices or was there some psychic power at play here? Robin turned his gaze back to Beast boy.

"This is a very serious matter Beast boy, why didn't you tell this earlier?" he asked accusingly. Beast boy cringed slightly but he was not surprised that this question had come up. He had been preparing himself for that specific question.

"I just couldn't shake off the feeling that I was going behind her back with this" Beast boy explained. Robin's expression softened slightly and he nodded in understanding. At that moment the door to the living room opened and Raven entered, her hood drawn up and concealing most of her face. Raven was once again in deep thoughts. When she had been confronted with the idea of gaining a level of control of her power that she had never dreamt of, to say that the prospect intrigued her would be a huge understatement. Her surge of power lust had temporarily eclipsed her usual calculating mind. But after a few hours of meditation and a more or less good night's rest, Raven had gathered her wits again and began to scrutinize the situation more critically. The first thing that she wondered was who it was that had this power and what would he or she gain from giving it to her. On another note, why would he or she even give it away in the first place and why only make an appearance now? But Raven had decided one thing; no matter what they could offer her, she would not accept anything until she met face to face with this mysterious figure.

As Raven walked inside and started moving towards the kitchen she noticed one uncomfortable factor; all of her friends were gathered at the table and were staring at her. Raven could feel the emotions radiating from her friends. A mixture of caution, confusion and… concern? What could they be concerned about? She turned to fully face them with her cape drawn together, covering her entire body.

"What?" she asked them. She could tell that there was something bothering them, something that had to do with her. Instinctively she gathered her power in her hands in preparation for a sudden attack. But when she realized the implication she was making by raising arms against her teammates and friends she dispelled the energy. Thankfully no one saw any of it.

"Raven, could you sit down, please?" Robin asked while gesturing to an empty seat at the table. Raven just brought her arms out from underneath her cape and folded them over her chest.

"I'd rather stand" Raven said, giving Robin a 'dare to force me' look.

"Very well. We have noticed that over last few days you've changed" Robin said. Raven just shrugged her shoulders.

"People change over time" was her response.

"Yeah, but not so suddenly and as drastically as you have. You barely talk to us anymore, you meditate even less than usual, you behave more aggressively and you show less regard for the team" Cyborg explained. Raven raised a challenging eyebrow at him but he did not see it due to the shadow of her hood concealing her upper face.

"Not only that, but we've heard you talk to someone in your room, yet scans we've run show that you were the only one in there" Robin said. At that Raven looked like she had just seen her mother rise from the grave.

"You scanned my room?" Raven nearly shouted. If there was one thing she hated it was when her private space was invaded. Robin did not back down from her anger.

"A simple precaution" Robin coldly answered. Normally he would not be this harsh against a friend but he knew that Raven was hiding something, something really bad. Pushing her like this may be extreme but he just wanted to help her, as did the rest of the team. Unfortunately it seemed to them that Raven did not share their mindset.

"_They don't trust you Raven" _the voice whispered in her mind. Raven did her best to ignore it and focus on her teammates.

"Is it precaution to invade someone's private life?" Raven asked sharply. Robin sighed mentally. It seemed that Raven would not play easy.

"Normally I would not do such a thing but during present circumstances it was necessary. Now tell us who you have been talking to" Robin replied just as sharply. Raven's eyes narrowed dangerously and she clenched her fists.

"Like I said to Beast boy yesterday, I was not talking to anyone" Raven said while glancing slightly at Beast boy, who shrank away from her brief but deadly stare. Now it was Robin's turn to narrow his eyes at her.

"Don't start lying now Raven, it will not help your situation" he simply said. Raven remained impassive.

"I'm not lying" Raven said but she could easily see that none of them believed her lie.

"I repeat; who did you talk to?" Robin asked, never once wavering with his gaze on her. Raven now placed her hands on her hips and met his gaze challenging.

"And if I don't feel like telling you?" she asked with a low voice. For a long moment both Raven and Robin stared at each other. Finally it was Robin who blinked first and with a heavy sigh broke eye contact for a while. Raven was still tense.

"I can't force you to tell if you don't want to, but we're trying to help you. It's obvious that whoever you're talking to is some form of powerful psyker or sorcerer and if they can talk to you without even being physically present we're worried what else they could do to you" Robin explained when he made eye contact with her again. There was also the possibility that she was going insane and imagining voices or even worse, it could be both. But Robin felt that it was not very wise to mention the last two possibilities. Raven seemed to relax and her eyes lost that deadly edge they had had earlier.

"Friend Raven, you do not have to bear whatever burden you have alone. We're your friends and we will always be on your side" Starfire said in her usual warm and friendly voice.

"Yeah Raven. You can always count on us!" Beast boy said.

"You got my full support too Rae!" Cyborg said. When hearing all of this from her friends, a small smile formed on her lips and the earlier shadow that had like an evil blanket been covering her soul was lifted.

"_No! I can't allow this to happen!" _the voice thought to itself. These pesky mortals were destroying everything with their pure friendship that was cutting its dark shadow around Raven's soul to pieces. It needed to act and soon before Raven slipped out of his grasp. But it could not simply illuminate Raven of her friends 'lies' and faults, it would only push her even further from its grasp.

"Yo, how 'bout we go out for pizza!" Cyborg burst out, getting positive confirmation from three of his friends. They all then looked at Raven expectantly while Raven herself looked uncertain.

"I'm not so certain about it" Raven said timidly. Barely a few moments ago she had been ready to attack her friends, now with her faith in their friendship restored she felt ashamed of her earlier actions. She did not feel like she deserved to spend time with them.

"_Yes, decline their offer Raven. Then let me 'comfort' you in your lonely guilt" _the voice said gleefully. But its plan was shredded by the ever so annoying little green changeling.

"C'mon Raven. Do I have to do the face to make you come?" Beast boy asked sweetly with a mischievous smile in his face. Raven narrowed her eyes at him.

"Don't you dare" she said. Beast boy did not answer, instead he turned into a green little kitten with big round eyes and fluffy ears while letting out a cute meow. The rest of the team smirked at this; no one had ever resisted 'the face' as it was called. Raven managed to hold out against it… for ten seconds before she broke down.

"OK, you win" she said. Beast boy changed back into his normal self while grinning victoriously at Raven.

"Glorious!" Starfire exclaimed and with that the newly reforged Teen Titans walked out to spend some long overdue quality time together. As they left, Raven felt relieved that they had convinced her to come too. But in Raven's belt lay the crystal, completely forgotten by Raven with her friends around her, and inside it, the voice which had haunted Raven for nearly a week was fuming with rage over these insolent mortals which sought to rob the crystal of its new host. It had been centuries since it had found its way into the hands of someone with such great potential as Raven and there was no way it would release Raven from its grip just like this.

"_I need a damn miracle to reach Raven again now!" _the voice thought angrily. With Raven's faith in her friends and her own good will restored the crystal's black and corrupting influence was being repressed. It needed something to happen, something so drastic that it would shake up Raven's belief to the point that the crystal could poison her thoughts and beliefs again.

"_Then allow me to deliver this miracle to you, mon ami" _another voice said, a voice with a French accent. If the crystal had been in possession of a face of its own it would have smiled sadistically at that moment. As it had said before; the game had only just begun and the crystal was still not down for the count.

…..

Gathered around a table at their favorite Pizza Hut, the usual argument over what pizza to order had broken out. Beast boy wanted a vegetarian pizza, Cyborg wanted one full of meat, Starfire wanted a pizza with ingredients no sane human would ever put on a pizza and Robin of course tried to be the voice of reason and make a compromise. Raven chose as always to remain neutral and wait for her friends to settle their traditional dispute. She was just happy to be here with her friends. When observing her friends, Raven truly understood how far away she had drifted from them in a week and what a mistake it had been.

"You're being awfully quiet Raven" Robin said. Raven had not even noticed that he had been looking at her.

"Just enjoying being with my friends" Raven said, causing Robin to smile. But Raven's tranquility was shattered into a thousand pieces when a small jewelry store down the road exploded. No further motivation was needed on the Titans side as they all sprang into action. They soon found themselves standing outside of the remnants of the jewelry store, facing off against the H.I.V.E Five.

"Well, well, well. Look what we have here. The Teen Titans have come to save the day" their leader Jinx said mockingly while smiling sadistically at them. Her cat-like eyes scanning everyone of them like a cat that had cornered a rat. Her witch-like attire was still the same but she wore a strange medallion around her neck. It was made as a pair of golden dragons intertwining around a blood red ruby. Behind her the rest of the team snickered while getting ready for battle: the bald headed little kid Gizmo in his green jumpsuit, the one eyed See-More, the hulking brute Mammoth in his black and gold clothing, the self-copying Billy Numerous in his red jumpsuit and Kyd Wykkyd dressed like an evil Batman copy.

"Titans, go!" Robin shouted before charging at Jinx. But as he came at her, Jinx merely did an acrobatic flip right over him and before he could turn around to confront her he was nearly hit by a kick from Kyd Wykkyd who teleported right next to him. Jinx quickly spotted Raven who had still not found an opponent.

"Keep them busy!" Jinx shouted to her team before unleashing a hex at Raven. The one who had hired them had been very explicit; eliminate Raven at all cost. Personally she did not need much motivation to get rid of a Titan but the handsome reward that was promised was more than enough to get the whole teams attention. Raven saw the hex coming her way and brought up a dark barrier that repelled the attack. Jinx came running at her and somersaulted over the barrier. The moment she landed she unleashed another hex at the ground which caused the concrete Raven was standing on to crack and explode. Raven was thrown back and crashed into a car. She was quickly back on her feet and unleashed a dark energy blast at Jinx who did not even try to dodge it. When it was two meters from Jinx, the medallion she wore flared up and Raven's attack shattered before it hit her. Raven stared wide eyed at what she had just seen.

"How…" she stammered. Jinx just gave her a predatory smile.

"Like my new medallion? It was a nice present from my current employer. It protects its wearer from all sorts of magical attacks" Jinx explained to Raven, who had by then regained her composure. _No magical attacks huh,_ Raven thought grimly, _seems like I'll need to improvise. _

"With or without magic, I'll still beat you" she calmly said to Jinx. Jinx's smile seemed to only grow wider by that.

"Let's see" she said before unleashing a hex at Raven who flew upward to avoid it. Jinx just kept firing hex after hex at her while Raven kept corkscrewing in the air to avoid them. In desperation she enveloped a car in dark energy and hurled it a Jinx. Jinx was then forced to abort her attack on Raven as she dived out of the cars way. That caught Raven's interest. _She did not bother dodging my magical attacks but she dodged when I threw a car at her,_ Raven thought. It did not take long for her to figure out why; the medallion stops magical attacks, but not solid objects thrown at it.

"You don't seem to be as invincible as you claim to be" Raven said before she enveloped every car, trashcan, street sign and anything else that could be used as a projectile in dark energy. Now it was Jinx's turn to dodge frantically as Raven bombarded her with objects. Jinx unleashed another hex around her to stave off the flying objects, but the hex expanded and destroyed all the objects while knocking Raven out of the air. She crashed painfully into the pavement. Jinx stared wide eyes at what she just did. She was not even aware that she could unleash such strong energy. But her chock soon wore off and another one of her smiles appeared.

"You were saying?" Jinx asked mockingly as Raven got back up on her feet. Jinx unleashed another hex at Raven who brought up a barrier. The barrier stopped the hex but was shattered by the huge strain. Raven enveloped the remnants of a car and hurled them at Jinx. Jinx unleashed a hex at the projectile and destroyed it and directly afterward sent another one at Raven who dived out of the way. Raven stared in surprise as the wall behind her disintegrated from the hex. _When the hell did Jinx get this strong, _Raven thought. A quick survey of the battlefield showed that she could not expect support from her friends who were all engaged with their own opponents.

"_Well, you seem to be in a tight spot now" _the voice suddenly said in Raven's head.

"What do you want?" Raven whispered irritably, causing the voice to snicker.

"_What do you think? I'm here to help you" _the voice answered. Raven however was still suspicious of what the voice wanted.

"_But if you prefer I can just sit back and watch as Jinx disintegrates you" _it added. As if to punctuate the voice's statement, another hex came at Raven and smashed the shield she had formed. Raven was in turn smashed into the wall behind her from the shockwave of the blast.

"I'm really going to enjoy killing you, Raven" Jinx said menacingly while approaching Raven. She formed a black energy hand and sent it after Jinx but it simply shattered before it even touched her. By now Jinx was standing right in front of Raven who was still lying on the ground with her back propped up against the wall

"_Don't tell me you're going to give up this easily. Hit back now, and hard!"_ the voice yelled in her head. On instinct she sent a dark energy blast at Jinx and to both combatants surprise, it made contact with her and sent her flying back.

"_The medallion that this witch wears protects her from magical attacks coming from a range longer than two meters, if it is any closer it cannot protect her" _the voice explained in response to Raven's unasked question. But Jinx was already up on her feet and hit Raven with another hex. Raven collapsed to the ground again, her every nerve feeling like electric jolts were running through them. Eventually they wore off and Raven managed to crawl back up again. Raven expected another attack coming from Jinx but when she looked at her Raven saw that Jinx was just as worn down and tired as she was. But Raven found that her anger and hatred was swelling up in her again, giving her energy to keep fighting. But with that anger came a sudden desire in Raven to watch Jinx bleed, to break her bones and to make her suffer. At first she tried to resist these impulses but they just grew stronger and stronger until Raven found that she could not contain them anymore. Raven could not fight it anymore; she must bring pain to Jinx.

"You know what Jinx; screw magic altogether, I'm going to beat you to a bloody pulp with my own hands" Raven hissed at Jinx who looked a little confused. Before Jinx could react, Raven teleported just outside of the protective barrier before she closed the last distance in quick strides and delivered a fist straight into her gut followed by a knee to the forehead. Jinx stumbled back but Raven was upon her in an instant and hit Jinx in the face, breaking her nose. Raven felt some small satisfaction in hearing Jinx cry in pain and seeing the blood flowing from her nose but she was in no way satisfied yet. Raven kicked Jinx in the stomach and followed up with a fist into her chest. Raven kept hitting Jinx over and over without pause or consideration until Jinx could barely stand up straight. Raven brought her fist into the underside of her head, sending Jinx a few feet up into the air before she fell hard onto the concrete. Raven instantly brought her foot down on Jinx's chest, knocking the air out of her and breaking a few ribs. Jinx coughed up some blood before fixing her eyes on Raven.

"Well… it seems like you've beaten me. I suppose it's time for me to go to jail now" Jinx said, her voice sounding strained. The fight was still raging between the rest of the Titans and the H.I.V.E and Raven was about to tie Jinx up so she could go and help her friends. But suddenly an idea came to her, where it originated from she had no idea. At first she was abhorred by it but as she thought more of it she felt that Jinx deserved it, and in some deep and twisted part of her soul she found the idea amusing. Raven tore the medallion from Jinx's throat before lifting her up with her powers. As Jinx looked upon Raven's face she felt her earlier courage drain away. Raven now had a sadistic grin on her face and her eyes held a maniacal gleam to them, there was no trace of mercy in Raven now.

"Yes, it's time for you to go to jail. But first, a little precaution so you don't run away when my back is turned" Raven said with an amused tone, then she made a few twisting motions with her hands. The rest of the combatants stopped fighting when they heard Jinx's anguished screams. They all turned to where the sound originated from but what they saw chocked everyone to the core. Jinx was levitating in the air a few feet away from Raven but her limbs were bent and twisted in every possible direction. Raven had not only broken Jinx's limbs, she had shattered every bone in them. From shoulder to fingertips and from thighs to toes.

"No one does that to a H.I.V.E member!" Mammoth suddenly shouted, abandoning his fight with Cyborg and rushing straight towards Raven. She turned around to face him and used her powers to form dark tendrils that ensnared Mammoth's legs, causing him to lose balance and crash into the street. Before he knew it, Raven had engulfed a motorcycle in dark energy and slammed it straight into his head. Mammoth's thick skull held firm against it but he was knocked out cold. That proved to be the last straw for the remaining H.I.V.E members as they each bolted down different roads and alleys in an attempt to escape the Titans, particularly their magic wielding member who single-handedly took out two of their members. It was not long until the H.I.V.E members were either apprehended or had escaped. Eventually the police arrived to take them away, but Jinx was sent in an ambulance to the hospital. There was no victory shouts from the Titans this time, it did not feel like a victory to them. They were still in shock over what Raven had done to Jinx. Right now Raven was standing on her own with her hood down, leaning against a street lamp and examining the medallion she took from Jinx with curiosity. She did not seem to be the slightest troubled by her actions. Robin was the first to act as he stormed over to Raven.

"What the hell did you do that for?" Robin roared right in her face. Raven seemed puzzled by his reaction.

"I thought we were supposed to stop them. Had you preferred I let Jinx kill me?" Raven asked. Robin was fuming at this point.

"You shattered all of her limbs! Couldn't you just tie her up or simply knock her unconscious?" Robin retorted. Raven seemed to become irritated at this point.

"And risk her managing to sneak off while my back was turned? Besides, we now know where she'll be for the next few years" Raven replied coldly, but Robin could have sworn her lips twisted up in a smile when she mentioned the last part.

"We are heroes, Raven. We don't use that kind of lethal force to bring down a criminal" Robin said with a calmer but still angry voice. Raven raised an eyebrow at that.

"You're one to talk. Or have you already forgotten about Red X?" Raven asked. Robin's left eye twitched at that, Red X was a sore spot for Robin. Raven met his gaze without flinching, it was the morning discussion all over again.

"_Interesting creature you call friend. You just took down a villain and made sure she would not be able to terrorize the city for a long time. And what does he do in return? He spits in your face and lectures you about being too brutal" _the voice said in her mind, and for once she agreed with it.

"Raven, what's happening to you? You've never been this violent before" Robin said, his voice almost sounding pleadingly.

"Maybe I've come to realize we're being too lenient with the criminals in this city" Raven responded, surprising both Robin and herself. That had not been Raven's thoughts when she pulverized Jinx, so where the hell did she get that from? But as she thought about it, Raven realized that it made sense.

"What?" was all Robin could say, his earlier shock gone and replaced by a threatening demeanor. Raven did not as much as twitch at his anger.

"You heard me, we are too soft against them. We foil their plans, we beat them up a bit and then send them to jail. One week later they are either released or they escape and we do it all over again. We need to make it clear to them that they will not get away with their crimes" she explained calmly. Robin was stunned by this, not by what Raven had said but by the fact that it was she who had said it.

"That is not how we do things" Robin eventually said, his voice as cold as ice. Raven used her powers to sense the other Titans thoughts and feelings, looking for any support to her side; she found none. All the other Titans were equally frightened by her actions.

"_Now that's disappointing. What happened to all those promises of support they made earlier this very day?" _the voice mockingly asked. Raven agreed fully with it. _So much for their pledges of friendship, _Raven thought grimly. Without another word being uttered, Raven swept past Robin towards the tower, never once looking at her friends. But unseen to all eyes, the shadow that had previously been dispelled from Raven's soul was now back and it now had an even stronger grip on her soul than before. With this discussion, a rift had been torn up between Raven and the Titans and this time it would not be as easily crossed as last time.

"What's happening to you, Raven?" Robin repeated from before, tough just loud enough that only he could hear the words. It was then he noticed that while Raven was walking away from him, her right hand reached into her belt and pulled something out. Robin caught a glance of what looked like pitch black glass but by the way Raven was holding and caressing it Robin guessed it was something important. What was strange was that he had never seen that trinket in Raven's possession before and he did not guess that Raven was someone who would even be interested in owning something like that.

"Or rather… what's changing you, Raven?" Robin said thoughtfully. Something was not right here, Robin could feel it. And he would find out what. What anyone had failed to realize was that during the whole battle, a crow had been silently observing everything that had transpired. And with the connection Iron Mask had to everyone of his crows, he had been granted a first class view of the spectacle without ever going near it. He had laughed gleefully when Raven had beaten Jinx bloody with her bare hands and had laughed just as much during the argument between Raven and Robin. But what had really been the highlight of the whole show was when Raven broke every bone in Jinx's limbs. A truly magnificent show it had been, the sadistic brutality that Raven had joyfully used adding a sweet flavor to the chaos. Sacrificing the medallion to that ignorant witch and placing her on a collision course with Raven was a small price to pay when compared to the end results. By hiring Jinx, while secretly infusing her with dark magic to strengthen her, and her cohorts to assassinate Raven, Iron Mask had given the young sorceress a chance to experience the darker side of her personality. But more importantly it had driven Raven farther away from her friends and closer to the crystal. All in all, things were progressing smoothly.

* * *

><p><em>Just a small side note: I know that Jinx turned into a good guy at the end in the series. But for this story, I'm ignoring the Brotherhood of Evil events. <em>


	13. Chapter 13: Kidnapping

Titans Tower

The following morning

The mornings in Titans Tower were usually full of life and energy, with the traditional banters and arguments over what to eat and what to do. This morning, there was no such energy flowing from the Teen Titans. Last day's events were still fresh in their memories and it frightened them still to think that one of their teammates, a friend no less, could resort to such brutal tactics without an ounce of regret or consideration. As it was, the team was gathered at the table with their respective breakfasts, except for Raven who was standing at the large windows with a cup of herbal tea in her hand and gazing out at the ocean. She may have seen to be doing nothing but unknown to her friends she was in a deep conversation with the Voice, as Raven had simply chosen to call it because that was all it was.

"_Come on Raven, why do you act so surprised?" _the Voice tauntingly asked. Raven so wished that the Voice could be there with her in person, so she could give it a proper glare.

"_Why should I not be? They are my friends. I actually expected they would support me" _Raven answered irritably, though her response was done mentally. After her friends discovered her discussions with the Voice, Raven had been careful to limit her discussions to mental talk only. The Voice just sighed.

"_How long are you going to live in that illusion? Didn't you see how quickly they turned against you yesterday? They are not your friends, they are merely a hindrance to you"_ the Voice explained. Raven did not even try to argue back, because deep down she believed what the Voice was saying.

"_Nevertheless, they are my teammates and I will stick with them" _Raven said. _For the moment at least,_ she added as an afterthought, though she did not mean to let the Voice hear it but unknown to her it had heard that last thought.

"_To change the subject now; you mentioned before the possibility of me obtaining greater control of my powers. So I ask you now, how?" _Raven continued, trying to redirect this discussion away from anything concerning her friends. She could then feel the Voice smile at her. It had seen through her move but chose to play along.

"_Patience Raven. I said you could obtain greater control, I never said I knew how" _the Voice answered, openly lying to Raven. But that should not come as a great surprise. The Voice, or rather the crystal, knew it was still too early to reveal its true form to Raven. If she found out what kind of power she was being offered now, she would undoubtedly refuse and even try to destroy the crystal. The crystal needed to twist Raven's view of good and evil further before making the final move.

"_Do you at least know __where__ I could get it?" _Raven asked, emphasizing greatly on the word "where".

"_Maybe" _the Voice answered playfully. Raven had to fight the urge to grind her teeth and remain outwardly calm and neutral.

"_Don't play games with me now! Just because I participate in these little 'talks' of yours, does not mean I will stand your silly mind games!" _Raven hissed at it. The Voice just laughed.

"_Feisty as ever. Have no fear Raven, those who wait for something good never waits too long" _the Voice answered. Raven lightly shook her head, sometimes she wondered how she could stand the Voice and its endless supply of cryptic answers and its perfect ability to ask the right question to either upset or confuse Raven.

"_Oh, I'm not that bad, am I?" _the Voice asked sweetly. Raven cursed herself mentally, she would have to be more careful with her thoughts in the future it seemed.

"_I agree with you. You never know who might be eavesdropping on your thoughts" _the Voice said mockingly. Now Raven really wished that the Voice could be there in person, so she could not only glare at it but also strangle it for good measure.

"_I sweat to Azar that one day I'll shove those words right down your throat" _Raven muttered at the Voice who merely laughed.

"_That will surely be a day to remember" _the Voice said when it finally found the strength to stop laughing. Despite herself, Raven could not stop from letting out a small giggle. What Raven had not noticed was that she had without thinking retrieved the black crystal from her belt. For some odd reason she found that holding it in her hand always brought a sense of peace to her, as if all the troubles in the world could not affect her. Raven felt secure with it around so she never let it out of her sight.

"_I do hope me and the Titans can put this behind us. It would save me the trouble of having to look over my shoulder all the time" _Raven said, sadness slightly seeping into her tone.

"_Well, you can count out Robin forgetting anytime soon. In fact, I think you should be careful around that sneaky fellow" _the Voice said in a low tone even though Raven was the only one who could even hear it. Out of habit, Raven raised an inquisitive eyebrow.

"_What makes you think that?" _she asked curiously.

"_Oh nothing, just the fact that he has been watching you the whole morning" _the Voice answered nonchalantly. On the outside Raven did not react the slightest to those news but she cautiously reached out with her powers and slightly brushed them against Robin's mind. As the Voice had said, he was watching her. Raven frowned in irritation.

"_What? I can't even drink my usual tea anymore without drawing suspicion to me?" _Raven asked with disgust. Growing tired of being watched, Raven decided to confront Robin.

"You know Robin, it's impolite to stare at people like that" She said, speaking with her mouth. Robin was quite startled by that since Raven had had her back to him the whole time and he had been careful not to appear to be openly staring at her, even the rest of the team had not noticed it. Considering that his cover had already been blown, Robin threw caution to the wind and rose from his chair and confidently walked up to stand next to Raven. For a while both of them were quiet, neither of them certain how to initiate the conversation. Raven finally decided to take the first step.

"If this is about what happened yesterday then you can forget me standing here and take more bullshit from you" Raven said coldly. Robin felt an extreme urge to retort about her "bullshit" claim but resisted the urge.

"No, it's not about yesterday. At least not completely" Robin explained in a calm manner. Raven raised an eyebrow at him.

"Raven, you've changed" Robin said. Raven just looked at him in an irritated fashion.

"Like I said before; people change over time" she replied. But Robin was in no way satisfied with that answer and he turned his gaze fully on Raven. She felt her breath get lodged in her throat when she met his gaze. There was something about it that unnerved Raven and not even the crystal's presence could give her confidence. Had it been anger in his stare then Raven could have easily ignored it like she had done for days now. But that was what unnerved her; there was no anger in him, at least not any anger directed towards her.

"Don't start coming with those excuses again, we both know that's not the whole truth" Robin said. Not even then could Raven detect any anger from Robin, he seemed to stand on neutral ground when concerning Raven. Robin's reason for this was because he felt that Raven deserved the benefit of a doubt. He could clearly see that Raven was drifting away from the team and the ideals they fought for. But despite how hard he tried, he could not imagine Raven doing it willingly. He felt confident that there was something else going on. Besides, he himself had in the past been balancing on the line between good and evil and had even been forced into a life of crime back then. But his friends had never given up on him and had saved him. Robin felt that he owed Raven to do the same, just as they all did to each other. He would do whatever he could to stop Raven from plunging down the same abyss he was close to do in the past. But if it turned out that Raven was beyond salvation, then Robin would not hesitate to bring her down.

"Why do you care anyway?" Raven asked, throwing in as much hostility into her voice as she could in an attempt to deter Robin. She might as well have been spitting on a wall for all the effect it had.

"Because we're friends, and I'm worried about you" Robin answered. Raven eyed him skeptically.

"I expected you'd be more worried about yourself and the public opinion after my 'handling' of Jinx yesterday" Raven said, her lips twitching slightly at the mention of Jinx. Robin could have sworn that Raven had to struggle not to smile at that memory.

"That's the reason I'm worried about you. I've known you for years and the only times you've turned that violent were when your daemon side took over" Robin said gravely. He stared hard into Raven's eyes and for a moment her gaze faltered under his.

"Well I can assure you that I'm in complete control" Raven replied nonchalantly, trying to act like this subject did not affect her. Robin narrowed his eyes on her.

"Even though you haven't meditated in two days?" Robin asked skeptically. Raven's eyes widened in surprise, she did not think that anyone had noticed it. The truth was that she did not feel the need to meditate as often as before. Then it was her turn to narrow her eyes at him.

"That's none of your business!" she hissed menacingly at him. But Robin was not about to back down from her anger.

"It is my business when it affects a teammate of mine, and if you tell me it does not affect you then you're the worst liar ever" Robin replied calmly. Raven's grip on the mug in her hand tightened until it shattered but she felt neither the pieces of ceramic cutting into her palm nor the hot tea burning her hand. All her focus was on Robin.

"And what makes you think that?" Raven asked, her voice rising to nearly a shout. The very air between them seemed to be sparkling with negative energy. Several objects in the room started to vibrate and the rest of them team was watching the heated argument with alarm.

"Your outburst here and now should suffice as proof" Robin responded as calmly as before. Raven's anger at first boiled up even further but then she calmed down when she realized that he was right.

"What do you want to know?" Raven asked through gritted teeth. If she could not scare him away, maybe she could give him some small piece of information to satisfy him. Robin inwardly let out a sigh of relief, it seemed she was finally ready to cooperate.

"Where did you get that crystal you've been carrying around?" Robin asked. He wanted to know how important it was to her and if he should consider it relevant. He got more than enough answer as she suddenly looked at him as if he had turned into a poisonous snake and she subtlety moved the hand holding the crystal behind her back.

"Why do you care about it?" Raven asked calmly, but her entire body language said that she was ready to bolt at the first sign of trickery. It seemed to Robin that he would need to tread carefully on this subject.

"Nothing, just curious. I've never seen you interested in such things before" Robin replied casually while shrugging his shoulders. Raven seemed to relax somewhat but she was still watching Robin cautiously. At least he was out of the red zone. Now Robin only had to wait to hear what lie Raven would tell, and Robin was sure beyond any doubt that it would be a lie. Raven took a moment to collect her thoughts and emotions to appear calm and unconcerned.

"Just a little trinket I found lying around. Whoever owned it didn't seem interested in having it anymore" Raven said. Well it was not the whole truth but it was not a complete lie either. Robin did not challenge her claim but simply nodded his head. Robin then decided he would see how far he could push.

"May I see it?" He asked kindly while stretching out his left arm. The tension from before suddenly returned tenfold and Raven stared at Robin's outstretched hand like it carried every disease in the world, her body becoming tense as a piano wire.

"_He's trying to trick you Raven. If you show it to him, he'll take it from you" _the Voice said, anger evident in its voice. Raven knew that his suspicions on her would only get worse if she did not comply, but her answer had been decided even before he asked the question.

"No" Raven said, her tone indicating that this was not negotiable. Once again Robin did not try to challenge her; he had never wanted to see it, he just wanted to see how Raven would react if someone wanted it. But unfortunately his little test had a side effect as Raven gave Robin the most hateful glare she could muster. Whatever ground he had gained here, Robin just lost it all with that one simple question.

"_Raven, if you're going to listen to any of my advises, listen to this one above all else: Do… Not… Trust… Him"_ the Voice said, though in truth it had not needed to say it anyway. The reason was that Raven's addiction, for that was what it was, to the crystal was now so strong that she would never part with it unless under extreme circumstances. That Robin asked for it was like trying to take a big juicy bone from a starving dog.

"If there's nothing else, I'll go and meditate" Raven said in a polite voice laced with disgust before walking away from the window. Robin was surprised by her move but did not try to stop her, even though he had barely asked a third of his question. Robin knew that if he tried to stop her now then things would only be even worse than they already were. Besides, he himself had work to do involving digging up information about magical objects and what effects they could have on people. But Starfire, ever the naïve optimist, did not see the potential danger and flew in front of the doors, blocking Raven's exit.

"Please friend Raven, can you not tell us what bothers you?" she asked in that sweet and innocent voice of hers with her hands clasped together in a pleading gesture. Robin instantly paled in alarm as he could practically smell trouble brewing. Normally Starfire's innocent and childlike behavior would crack even the most stoic of Titans, even Raven at some points. However, Raven felt more murderous than friendly at the moment and was not in the mood for continued socialization with her friends. Still, Starfire's puppy-like eyes and sweet demeanor managed to at least calm Raven down from murderous rage to impatient anger. But Raven was still not happy that Starfire was blocking her way and did not feel generous enough to ask in a polite way for Starfire to move. Raven's eyes flashed red, her cloak billowed in a none-existent wind and the shadows around them seemed to twist and turn on the own accord, as if Raven's presence caused fear and pain to them.

"You're in my way" Raven replied in a cold voice that was drenched in menace. Starfire first stood frozen in place, fear plastered on her face, before she scrambled out of the way as if Raven was burning her. Seeing Starfire's terror-stricken face, Raven felt a small pang of regret that she had reacted so harshly against Starfire. She had only meant well after all and Starfire was the most kindhearted and friendly of them all. But as quickly as that regret came, it was squashed by cold and twisted logic. Raven should not feel sorry, it was Starfire's own idiocy that had placed her as a target for Raven's anger. Besides, Starfire needed to learn that friendship was no excuse to interfere in others privacy. Raven was so convinced by those thoughts that she did not even stop to consider where that last thought had come from. Not waiting around to see if any other of her teammates, she was starting to find it increasingly difficult to regard them as friends, would try and stop her, Raven swept out of the living room. The silence that followed her departure would have outclassed a grave. Cyborg and Beast boy stared shell-shocked at the doors, Starfire was practically in tears from fear and sadness and Robin was simply observing his friends. One small detail that they had all missed however, including Raven herself, was that her hand which had crushed the tea mug was no longer damaged, as if it had never happened.

"Man, what's happening to Rae? She's even more agitated than when Beast boy pulls a stupid prank on her" Cyborg said disbelievingly. Beast boy just nodded in agreement, not even trying to come up with a retort to Cyborg.

"Could it be something we did?" Starfire asked.

"I don't think so, Starfire" Robin responded tiredly. The whole situation seemed to be spiraling out of control and he had no idea what to do. But for the moment he decided that it would be wise to give Raven some space until they could sort it all out. For that reason, Robin decided it would be a good idea to give the team different tasks to occupy them with, and to keep them a good distance from Raven.

"Cyborg, could you go and check up on our equipment and make sure it is in prime condition?" Robin asked, trying to make it sound like a routine business. But Robin could see that Cyborg had seen through him, thankfully though he seemed to see the necessity behind the deceit and simply nodded his head and went off.

"Beast boy and Starfire, we probably need to buy some food by now. You two can handle it" Robin continued. Obviously neither of them was as perceptive as Cyborg as they did not question why they would need to go and shop when they had already done it two days ago.

"Yes, Robin. We will undertake this task with much enthusiasm! Perhaps I can find something to sheer Raven up with!" Starfire said while squealing happily. Beast boy simply groaned out something that sounded like "why me?" while his whole posture slumped. Within moments both Starfire and Beast boy had left or rather Starfire had left while dragging Beast boy with her despite his protests. Robin just sighed while holding his face with his hand. He had promised himself that he would give Raven a chance to come back from whatever dark place she was heading into, but it was becoming more and more apparent to him that his last resort plan of taking her down was in fact his only resort. Robin prayed however that he was wrong on that.

…..

Down at the docks, it was mostly quiet. No ships were scheduled to arrive for the next couple of days and all shipments that had already arrived had been packed up and sent away so the workers decided to take a little day off. But not every part of the docks was calm and quiet. In the run down and criminal part Iron Mask had his little hideout in an old wooden warehouse that should not by all rights even be standing. On the second floor Iron Mask had made himself a somewhat comfortable home. He had set up a white board on one wall, a couch and a TV in a corner, a small table in the center of the room with C4 tied to its underside and he had arranged one of the short ends of the room as a shooting range. For precautionary measures he had all windows except the one in the roof bared up and the only door leading to the second floor trip wired with shrapnel mines. Normally he never stayed in one place for a long period of time to even bother to make himself comfortable; Jump City was proving to be an exception and it was not because of his paycheck.

As usual he was currently blasting away with "_La Marseillaise" _at max volume while doing target practice on photos of the Teen Titans. Usually he practiced his aim on photos of Alexander Cole but sadly all photos he had of that man were all shot beyond recognition. He kept humming in tune with the music while daydreaming of murder, mayhem and watching the world go up in flames. But Iron Mask's version of tranquility was shattered by a groan from the couch.

"Can't you shut off that horrible noise so I can die in peace!" the Hunter shouted groggily while dropping the empty bottle of liquor he had clutched in his hand onto the floor, to join the company of four other already emptied bottles. Iron Mask just sighed and walked over to the CD player and shut it off.

"Don't _blâme_ me, it's your own damn fault that you wanted to empty my _stockage_ of liquor on your own" Iron Mask muttered irritably before turning back to his improvised shooting range.

"Besides, you're _juste_ jealous that you don't have a national anthem of your own" Iron Mask playfully added, snickering somewhat. He raised his gun and pointed it at a picture of Robin. But before he could pull the trigger, another shot echoed in the warehouse. Iron Mask looked down in surprise to see a bullet hole in his heart before spinning around to face the Hunter who had miraculously managed to stagger up from the couch and retrieve his own gun.

"You do know that doesn't work on me" Iron Mask nonchalantly stated. The Hunter grunted in response.

"It works to calm me down" he said hoarsely. The Hunter now stood fully in the little light offered by a few light bulbs without his gasmask, revealing his Mohawk trimmed hair and Indian features. Iron Mask chuckled.

"Sometimes I wonder who's the most _psychotique_ of the two of us" he said. The Hunter responded by shooting him again in the heart.

"Come on, you're _fracturant_ my heart here!" Iron Mask whined jokingly. The Hunter merely growled in drunken anger.

"One of these days, I swear by my ancestors that I will find a way to kill you permanently" he said before stumbling back to the couch and slumping into it.

"Don't be such a _peine_ in the _cul_. Besides, if it weren't for my knowledge of healing spells and _potions_, you would still have a broken _jambe_ and probably be dead from your _excessif _drinking" Iron Mask remarked. The Hunter turned his head to regard Iron Mask doubtfully.

"When you mention it, I'm a little thoughtful on how **you **of all people were knowledgeable in the art of healing" the Hunter said accusingly. Iron Mask just shrugged his shoulders.

"What can I say, I have a lot of spare time" he responded. The Hunter simply accepted the answer and was about to lie back down on the couch and drift back into sleep when suddenly the music "_I hate everything about you" _started playing. The Hunter gave a groan as he crawled out of the couch again while Iron Mask retrieved his cellphone from his pocket and set it on speakers. He walked over and placed it on the table.

"_Bonjour vous baise bâtard. Comment envisagez-vous pour gâcher ma journée d'aujourd'hui_?" Iron Mask asked cheerfully and he could already picture the scowl on Alexander's face as he knew that Iron Mask was insulting him in some manner but could not understand or prove it.

"_Spare me your French gibberish, we got more important matters to discuss" _Alexander answered, irritation plain in his voice.

"As you wish, _mon patron sans valeur" _Iron Mask replied.

"_Good. Now, is the Hunter there with you?" _Alexander asked.

"Yeah, I'm here" the Hunter replied tiredly.

"_Perfect, then we can begin" _Alexander said. There was a small dramatic pause before he continued.

"_When I hired the two of you, I had expected that you could handle any obstacles that might rise. I even spent millions in hiring mercenaries and bribing prison guards to spread chaos and confusion, thereby tying up the police force. So when I found out that you had been beaten by a bunch of kids not only once but twice, to say that I'm disappointed would be a huge understatement", _Alexander stated. Iron Mask had to literally bite his tongue, even tasting blood in his mouth, to stop himself from retorting since he had not lost the fights, he had chosen not to finish them for his own reasons. Thankfully the Hunter came to his rescue.

"If you're just going to keep criticizing our work, then I'm going back to sleep" he grunted out while clutching his head slightly, his hangover starting to mess with his head.

"_As much as I'd like to continue for hours, you're right. The reason I called is to discuss a change of strategy", _Alexander said. That caught Iron Mask's interest.

"What did you have in mind" he asked curiously. This could potentially ruin Iron Mask's own plans so it was best to pay attention so he could figure out how to turn this to his advantage.

"_We first tried to secure the crystal before anyone else could, that failed. We then tried to take it by brute force, that also failed. I believe it's time to try to ransom it", _Alexander Hunter raised an eyebrow at that.

"And how do you plan on doing that?" he asked. Iron Mask was also very keen to find out but chose to remain silent and simply listen.

"_Isn't it obvious? We're going to kidnap a Titan and demand the crystal in exchange", _Alexander announced, the proudness and malice in his voice thick enough to cut with a knife.

…..

While the docks were calm and quiet, the rest of the city seemed to be its polar opposite as thousands of people moved this way and that on their different errands. It was through this swarm of people that Starfire and Beast boy tried to navigate their way towards the grocery store. They could have normally just flown all the way but both of them had too much on their minds to fully focus on such matters. Besides, walking gave them time to think things through. Starfire was especially concerned after her confrontation with Raven that morning. Sure, every Titan had been present and had seen Raven's anger but none of the others had seen what Starfire had seen in Raven's eyes. For a fleeting moment, Starfire had thought that she would die because Raven's eyes had been filled with a murderous and unforgiving intent by the likes she had not seen since facing Trigon. She could still picture those eyes in front of her like a pair of abysses ready to swallow her life. But as quickly as that menacing aura in her eyes had come it was gone, replaced by a confused and guilty look. Starfire was certain that in those few moments she had glimpsed her friend and teammate Raven. But those precious few moments when Starfire glimpsed what was left of the Raven they knew, past just as quickly and all that had remained was a deep and cold void which in Starfire's opinion was more terrifying than her anger.

From what Starfire had seen, it seemed as if there were three personalities in Raven; two of which she recognized. First it had been Raven's daemonic side clawing its way to the surface, then it had been her human side who they had grown to love as a dear friend but lastly it had been a side of her never seen before. It had been cold and merciless. Sure, Raven was known to be very reserved and in many cases seemed to lack emotions, but that was a state that she had been taught to keep up since childhood out of necessity. Starfire knew that deep down Raven was a very caring friend who treasured the bond she had with the other Titans more than anything else, even though she often made promises of sending Beast boy to another dimension when he annoyed her. But the Raven she had seen in Titans Tower was giving off the feeling that the whole world could burn to oblivion and she would not give a damn about it as long as she got whatever she wanted. Starfire may be naïve but she was in no way stupid, she knew that this did not bode well at all for Raven or the Teen Titans. But she had no idea what she could do, she did not even fully know what kind of danger they would be facing. One thing Starfire knew however was that Raven seemed to be in a battle with those other two sides of her, and was losing. But who was winning? The daemon, or the other thing? Only time could tell.

"Hey, stop right there you jerks!" Beast boy suddenly shouted, snapping Starfire from her thoughts. Looking at what the commotion was about, Starfire saw two men snatching a purse from an elderly woman across the street before dashing into a nearby alley. Without a second thought Starfire was up in the air followed closely by Beast boy as a hawk. Both of them quickly crossed the street and moved to help the old lady, but a young boy had already done so and waved them off.

"Don't worry, we'll help her. Go after those creeps" he said to which Starfire nodded before speeding down the alley that the two men had run into, Beast boy following her. They both entered the alley in time to see the two men splitting up as the alley divided itself into two separate directions. Beast boy temporarily turned into his normal self.

"You take the one that went left, I'll take the other!" Beast boy shouted before turning into a cheetah and sprinting after his target. Starfire also speeded after her target. It did not take long for her to catch up, the man running at a slow pace and seemed to be quite sloppy as he stumbled upon various debris scattered in his way. Starfire charged up a starbolt in her hand and threw it at the man, hitting him straight in the left leg. He fell hard onto the ground while Starfire landed a few feet from the man, another starbolt charged in her hand and her eyes glowed green. The man managed to crawl up on his knees but had his back to Starfire and had a hood drawn up.

"Surrender now and I will not have to harm you any further" Starfire said in the most commanding tone she could muster. But to her surprise, the man neither surrendered nor begged for mercy; instead he laughed. Starfire found this strange, as she had not found anything amusing about what she had said.

"On the _contraire_, _ma petite fille douce_. It is I who will harm you further" the man said. Starfire backed away slightly, confusion written on her face. _That voice, _she thought, _where have I heard it before?_ Before she could remember, Starfire felt something sting her neck and on reflexes she reached behind her and pulled out a metallic object embedded in her neck. When she held it in front of her face to get a better look at it, she saw that it was a dart. As that fact sunk in, Starfire started to feel a little groggy and her vision started spinning. She heard footsteps behind her and instinctively she spun around and threw her starbolt at whoever was behind her along with shooting green eye beams.

"Shit, the girl is still standing!" the man shouted. Starfire's vision was still blurry and she could not pinpoint her assailant but to compromise for this she wildly fired off starbolts at whatever that so much as twitched in her line of sight. Starfire hoped that if she could keep this up, the adrenaline that was pumping through her system now would help her burn through the drugs she had been injected with. And if she was lucky, she could hold out until her friends came to help. But unfortunately she had forgotten about the man she had pursued down the alley in the first place. She was painfully reminded of his presence when he grabbed her right arm and twisted it behind her back, earning a cry of pain from Starfire. Before she could react to his attack, the man spun her around to slam his fist straight into her gut three times in rapid succession, knocking the wind right out of her. He followed up the hits with another one on her forehead and ended with a last punch in the back of her head. With the drug in her system and the beating she just received, Starfire collapsed to the ground and slipped into unconsciousness. Seeing that the coast was clear, the other man came out of his hiding place behind a dumpster while holstering his tranquilizer gun and removing his gasmask. The hooded man looked up at his partner as he approached and pulled down his hood, revealing the iron mask he wore underneath.

"I thought you said that your _tranquillisant_ would be enough to take her down" Iron Mask said grumpily while nudging the unconscious Starfire with his boot. The Hunter shrugged innocently.

"What can I say?" the Hunter responded, mimicking Iron Mask's answer from before. Iron Mask just shook his head.

"Whatever, I think that it's time for us to _retraite_ before her _copains_ show up. And since I was the one who took her down, you get the _honneur_ of carrying her" Iron Mask said authoritarian, but could not prevent a small hint of amusement from entering his voice at the end. The Hunter said nothing, he just walked over and hoisted Starfire over his shoulder before the two of them walked away.


	14. Chapter 14: Motives revealed

Titans Tower

1 hour later

Ever since dispatching his teammates on their designated tasks, Robin had spent the whole time searching for any kind of information that might exist on that mysterious crystal Raven carried around. Some might say that Robin was overly paranoid if he considered a little black crystal something to be thoroughly investigated. They would of course be correct on the paranoia part, being tutored by Batman himself tended to make you that. But this time Robin knew fully well that his paranoia was well placed. He knew Raven very well, after all they had been on the same team for more than two years, and he knew that she never cared about trinkets or objects unless it was tea, a book or magical. The problem was that there were countless magical objects in the world; some simply small trinkets meant to bring good luck, others powerful artifacts of apocalyptic scale and of course there were those objects that were the work of fiction and fantasy. Without more solid information to go on, this search would be like looking for a needle in a haystack. Nevertheless, Robin had never been one to quit that easily. But if Robin had any plans of continuing his research, they were immediately flushed down the drain the moment Iron Mask appeared on the main screen. He was seated in a chair with his legs on a table while he idly polished a gun in his hands.

"_Bonjour mon ami! Ça va_?" he asked just as cheerfully as when they met the first time in the mine. And just like before Robin did not respond other than with a piercing glare. During the short time Iron Mask had been around, he had managed to climb up to number 3 on Robin's "most hated criminal" list.

"What do you want?" Robin angrily barked at him. Iron Mask simply chuckled while shaking his head.

"Still as _rude_ and _impatient_ as before. Haven't you learned to show _respect_ to your elders?" Iron Mask asked amusedly. Robin just scoffed at him.

"The only thing I'll show you is a one-way ticket to the nearest prison" Robin responded coldly. Still Iron Mask showed no other reaction than amusement to Robin's answer.

"Oh, how I wish we could _continuer_ with this pointless but highly _amusant_ banter. Alas, I'm calling you in a business matter only and I am _forcé_ to, as they say, cut to the chase" Iron Mask explained. Robin eyed him skeptically but did not try to shut down the transmission.

"Spill it then" Robin snarled at him, not in the mood to discuss with him any further than he had to.

"_Oui bien sûr_. But first, why don't you summon the rest of the team? I'm sure they would enjoy _participant_ in this _discussion_ too. And besides; I've only been acquainted with you and Raven, I haven't had the _plaisir_ to meet the rest of your team" Iron Mask stated sweetly. Robin did not like that tone one bit. He could practically see the wide smile underneath his iron mask and he did not find it reassuringly in any way. But Robin decided that this was probably a matter concerning the entire team so he pulled out his communicator and sent out a signal to the others, never once taking his eyes off Iron Mask. Cyborg was the first to enter after a few minutes.

"Yo Rob, what's the prob…" Cyborg began but stopped when he noticed who Robin was having a stare down contest with. He cautiously approached to stand next to Robin, crossing his arms over his chest. Iron Mask diverted his gaze from Robin to Cyborg and both Titans could feel the smile underneath the mask that was anything but humorous. Iron Mask spread his arms out in a welcoming gesture.

"Ahh, I guess this is Cyborg, _correct_?" he asked with that fake cheerful voice of his. Cyborg did not answer but nodded his head slightly while keeping up an emotionless façade on his face.

"Don't be so boring now. I've had enough of that from my _partenaire_" Iron Mask said sorrowfully, obviously faking it. But suddenly he turned his eyes towards a dark corner of the huge room.

"And must you really hide in the shadows like a _fantôme_? I would have _préféré_ if you would just come out so I could see you" Iron Mask stated. Robin and Cyborg both turned around and watched in surprise as Raven walked out from the corner, seemingly emerging from the very shadows, while hissing venomously at Iron Mask. Robin shook off his momentary surprise and turned back to the screen.

"Alright, we're all here now so what do you want?" Robin asked icily, not bothering with being subtle or polite with this maniac. Iron Mask tilted his head slightly.

"I only count _trois_ of you, shouldn't we wait for _les autres_?" Iron Mask asked curiously.

"They're both unavailable at the moment" Robin simply answered. Iron Mask gave a slight chuckle.

"I wouldn't be so _certain_ about that, _Garçon Merveille_" Iron Mask stated. Robin narrowed his eyes. He did not like the sound of that. At that moment the doors slid open and Beast boy came running in, apparently winded judging by his heavy breathing.

"So what's... (Gasp)… the problem?" he asked after a few seconds. Robin quickly noticed one missing factor and stormed over to Beast boy.

"Beast boy, where's Starfire?" he asked roughly. Beast boy blinked a few times in confusion before he answered.

"You mean she hasn't come back yet?" Beast boy asked.

"When was the last time you saw or heard from her?" Robin asked, not bothering to answer Beast boy's question. Something was just not right here, Robin could feel it.

"Well, we were looking for a food store when we stumbled upon a pair of thieves stealing from an old lady and we chased them down an alley but we got separated. When I later called her she said that she would head back to the tower and that I should continue with whatever task we had" Beast boy explained. Robin narrowed his eyes at Beast boy.

"Are you sure?" he asked harshly. Beast boy first shook his head but then it seemed that something occurred to him.

"Now that you mention it, she did speak with a strange accent I've never heard her use before" he said carefully. At that moment they both heard a chuckle from behind. Robin had completely forgotten about Iron Mask in that short amount of time but when hearing that laugh, Robin was dreadfully reminded of his presence and he had a strong feeling that his laughter was boding ill tidings.

"Voice _altération_ spells can be very useful _de temps en temps_, don't you think?" Iron Mask asked. It did not take a genius to put two and two together here and Robin looked like he would strangle Iron Mask with his own intestines if he got the chance.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE WITH HER?" Robin roared at Iron Mask, eyes ablaze with anger though none could see it due to the mask covering his eyes. Iron Mask held up his hands in a surrendering gesture.

"_Calmez-vouz_! She's perfectly safe; for _le moment_ at least" he answered. Robin looked ready to pounce on Iron Mask, even though he was only present on screen. Cyborg stepped in and placed a hand on Robin's shoulder, both as support and restraint. Robin managed to rein in his anger and regain his calm expression, though it was nothing more than a façade waiting to be cracked.

"What do you want with Starfire?" Robin asked.

"Nothing really. _Personnellement_ I don't give a damn about her. I have other _priorités_" Iron Mask explained, his gaze subtly moving to Raven without anyone noticing. He quickly moved his attention back to Robin.

"The one with _intérêt_ in her is _mon patron_. He wishes to _utiliser_ her as a bargaining chip" Iron Mask continued. Robin tightened his fists while glaring at the screen. But he knew fully well that he was beaten here. All he could do was play along and wait for round two.

"What is it you want?" he said through gritted teeth.

"A simple _arrangement_ really; the girl's life, in _échange_ for the crystal Raven has been carrying around for nearly a week" Iron Mask said in a businesslike tone. His deal was punctuated with every glass and plate shattering as well as the screen cracking. All eyes found themselves drawn to the source of the destruction; Raven. She did not say a single word but she did not need to use words to express her thoughts on this arrangement. Her eyes were glowing blood red, dark tendrils seeped out from underneath her cloak and several small objects had been covered in dark energy and were levitating in the air. One thing was clear beyond any doubt; she was pissed. Beast boy, who had been standing next to her, took a few fearful steps away from her while Cyborg eyed her cautiously. Robin turned his eyes back to Iron Mask, mainly to address him again but also to continue the arrangement before Raven intervened.

"Name the time and location for the exchange" Robin said and he could feel Raven's glare searing his back. Normally he would consult his friends on what to do but Starfire's life was in danger at the moment, and he took for granted that the others would understand. Apparently he had been wrong concerning Raven.

"At _le dock_, pier 20 at 14:00. That's in _deux heures_ to be _exact_" Iron Mask responded. Robin nodded his head and was about to terminate the link when Iron Mask stopped him.

"And one last thing Robin; don't keep us waiting" he said before waving goodbye and terminating the link. Robin sighed deeply while grabbing his face with his right hand.

"Raven, what exactly is so important about that crystal?" he asked without turning to look at her. Silence greeted his question. When no answer came he turned around in confusion, only to find that Beast boy and Cyborg were the only ones who remained. Raven had already left.

…..

With the link terminated, Iron Mask got up from his chair and moved towards an arcane circle he had made earlier. It consisted of strange symbols that few mortals had ever laid eyes on before, let alone knew how to use. But for Iron Mask, using these symbols was child's play. At that moment the Hunter showed up, just when Iron Mask was about to commence the spell. He cast an irritated look at his partner for his interruption.

"What are you doing here? I told you to remain with the girl and _garde_ her until _l'_ _échange_" Iron Mask said, irritation plain in his voice. The Hunter merely crossed his arms over his chest while glaring at Iron Mask. He was not wearing his gasmask at the moment so his glare was plain to see.

"I came here to get some answers from you. I want to know what you're planning" the Hunter replied coldly. If Iron Mask's heart had still been beating it would have probably skipped a heartbeat at the Hunter's statement. _Does he know,_ was a thought that went through his head.

"I'm planning on completing _le mission_ that Alexander hired me for; which is to _obtenir_ the crystal for him" he answered, playing the ignorant lackey. The Hunter just snorted.

"Please, don't try that sorry act on me. You may be able to fool Alexander and the Titans, but you can't fool me" he stated. Iron Mask gave his colleague a thoughtful look.

"So what is it you think I'm doing then?" he eventually asked.

"I know that you aren't planning on giving Alexander the crystal. In fact, I actually think that you're planning to let that Titan girl keep it" the Hunter explained, his eyes narrowing at the end. Iron Mask tensed up and looked ready to attack his partner. The Hunter noticed this and rested his hands on his pair of Uzis he carried in his belt. Iron Mask was the one who broke the tension by breaking into his trademark laughter.

"I should have foreseen that you would not be easily _dupé_" Iron Mask said in an amused tone. The Hunter visibly relaxed but was still alert in case Iron Mask tried anything.

"So, are you going to tell me what your real goal is?" the Hunter asked cautiously. Iron Mask immediately dropped his humorous attitude in favor of a dead serious one.

"You are aware of my _démoniaque_ _patrimoine_, right?" Iron Mask answered with his own question. The Hunter did not look surprised by those news, he actually nodded his head slightly.

"I've had my suspicions" he responded.

"In my youth, I had a _vision_ of conquest. I dreamt of _atteindre_ the strength to bind _un armée_ of _démons_ to my will and uniting every _ennemi_ to the established _religions_ and societies to my side. I envisioned of leading this _armée_ in an unholy _croisade_ across the world" Iron Mask preached, along the way seemingly forgetting that he had an audience and simply unburdening his soul of a desire that had never been fulfilled. The Hunter listened in captivated fascination as the madman he called partner rambled on, oblivious to the Hunter.

"I envisioned Rome burning to the _sol_, the thrice accursed Pope nailed to a cross just like the delusional _imbécile_ that started it all. I could practically taste the blood in the _air_ as I dreamt of drowning the so called Holy Land in a tide of blood that would make God himself _trembler_ in fear. I would have outclassed Vlad the Impaler by holding a _dîner de célébration_ in a _forêt_ of humans impaled on pikes that would stretch for miles in every direction. I would fulfill the Buddhists _désir_ of escaping their _cycle_ of death and rebirth by tearing their souls from their bodies and enslave them as ethereal beings to my will, to _tourment_ them for all _éternité_!" Iron Mask ranted on. He had taken now to stalking around the room, the fire of absolute insanity burning like a pair of blinding supernovas in his eyes, while making gestures with his arms in every direction, as if he was holding an inspiring speech to a gathering of thousands of eager listeners instead of the single shell-shocked man still standing at the doorway.

"My power would be _absolu_ as I would unleash a global _génocide_ the likes of which has never even been dreamt of in the worst nightmaresof_ l'humanité_! The skies would darken, the _océans_ would boil, the Earth would be scorched by fires and lightning! _L'humanité_ would know the deepest form of fear and they would despair in the knowledge that the sins of all their _ancêtres_ had finally caught up to them. I would have been the _suprême_ creature, the true harbinger of Armageddon! The world would have quaked in fear in the knowledge that I would be the bringer of the end of all things mortal!" Iron Mask concluded with burning conviction, his fists thrust into the air as if challenging the almighty one to prove him wrong. The Hunter simply stood slack jawed, the concept of even moving had fled him in the face of the madness he just heard. He had always known that Iron Mask was insane but this; this was on a level that he could have never imagined. Thankfully it seemed that Iron Mask had finally calmed down as he returned his attention to the Hunter.

"But alas, that was all the wishful thinking of a _naïf_ child with only a small grasp of what a _monumental_ task it was. Even with my _démon_ blood, I was _descendu_ from a far too weak line of _démons_ to ever even gain the respect of a single _démon_, let alone the loyalty of an entire _armée_" Iron Mask explained. The Hunter simply nodded his head, still not seeing how this all mattered to the current events. But then Iron Mask got a dangerous and slightly mischievous glint in his eyes.

"But I have now found someone else who has the _potentiel_ to carry out my dream" Iron Mask said in a gloating voice. It suddenly clicked together in the Hunter's head and his eyes widened in shock.

"Y-you can't p-possibly mean…" the Hunter stammered out only to be interrupted by Iron Mask's laughter.

"Yes, that's _exactement_ what I mean. I have the _intention_ of turning Raven from this world's _protecteur_ to its _destructeur_!" Iron Mask announced gleefully. _There's just no end to this psychopath's madness_, was the prominent thought that raced through the Hunter's mind. Unconsciously his grip on his pair of Uzis tightened. Iron Mask saw this but did not even bother to consider them a threat, for quite obvious reasons.

"Let me ask you two final questions; firstly, what makes you think that could convince the girl to follow your so called vision? Secondly, why should I just not go and report of your imminent betrayal to the boss?" the Hunter cautiously asked. Even though Iron Mask wore his iron mask, the Hunter could tell that he was smiling sadistically at him.

"Well to answer your first _question_; I'm already well under way of turning Raven to our darker _point de vue_ of the world, though I must _admettre_ that it was _actuellement_ the crystal's own corrupting _essence_ that did most of the work" Iron Mask explained before giving the Hunter an amused gaze, as if he knew something that the Hunter did not.

"And to answer your second _question_; If you join my _cause_ instead, I will give you the _ultime_ prey" Iron Mask continued. A flicker of confusion and intrigue appeared in the Hunter's eye from that statement and Iron Mask was quick to pounce on that.

"_Imaginer_ this yourself; Raven will gather to her the power of an entire _démon armée_ with the _intention_ of causing _destruction_, that's not something that will go unchallenged by neither the world's _gouvernements_ nor the Justice league. They will all _mobiliser_ to stop her. In the _chaos_ that will ensure other villains and warlords will see their chance to make a _profit_ and they will also make their move. The world will then be _plongé_ into a _maelstrom_ of war and _destruction_ and out of this inferno only the strongest, quickest and most cunning will _survivre_. They will have proven their will to _survivre_ against all the odds and as such, they would be the best that this world could offer to hunt" Iron Mask carefully explained to the Hunter. He could immediately see that he had scored a victory as the Hunter lost all focus on Iron Mask, too deep into his dreams of finally finding a prey that was worthy to be hunted. The Hunter looked like he was deeply considering the offer but Iron Mask already knew that he would accept, one just had to know what buttons to push and you could make anyone clamor to join your side.

"Alright, I'm in" the Hunter finally said, an insane fire now burning in his own eyes.

"_Très bien_, then return to _garde_ the girl, I'll deal with our soon-to-be _allié_ as well as our temporary _patron_" Iron Mask said. The hunter nodded his head and turned around and was about to exit the room when he stopped himself.

"Are you absolutely sure that you can convince the girl to join us?" the Hunter asked over his shoulder and he could once again feel that sick smile on Iron Mask.

"_Oui bien sur! _As a great and wise man once said; madness is just like gravity, all it takes is a little push" he responded.

…..

The moment that Iron Mask had terminated the link, Raven had teleported from the living room to the training room. She had gotten some serious explosions of anger and hatred in her when hearing what it was they wanted in exchange for Starfire and as such she needed something to vent it all on. So here she was now, right in the middle of "redecorating" the training room. She had currently trashed half of the training equipment, cracked three of the walls, pulverized nearly all of the sparring robots and was in the process of literally tearing a boxing bag to pieces. But in Raven's eyes she was not destroying a boxing bag, but Iron Mask himself. All the equipment she had so far destroyed had also been Iron Mask in Raven's eyes. She kept shouting, screaming and even roaring in anger while casting every curse she could come up with on Iron Mask. Finally, with one last action, Raven enveloped the half torn boxing bag with her powers and with a final curse upon Iron Mask she shredded it to a million pieces. She stood there panting for a while the remnants of her latest "kill" rained down around. She eventually collapsed to her knees, her breath strained from exhaustion and anger. Her hood had fallen down to show her exhausted but still infuriated face.

"So it's that important, huh?" a voice suddenly said from the doorway. Raven looked in surprise at the door to find Robin leaning against the doorframe with a calculating look on his face. Raven reverted her gaze to the floor beneath her while lowering her head in a surrendering gesture.

"Yes" she said weakly. Robin may have looked calm and collected, but in truth he was deeply troubled and confused. He had never seen Raven like this, except during the whole prophecy thing last year.

"What exactly is it?" he finally asked the question that had bugged him all this time. Raven sighed deeply, she first considered to either lie or not answer at all but seeing as Iron Mask had practically blown the whistle she saw no reason to withhold the information.

"I honestly don't know. I found it in that ancient castle underneath the mine and for some reason I felt that I just had to have it" Raven explained while getting back on her feet. She retrieved the crystal from her belt and held it in front of her, staring at it with a mesmerized expression on her face. Having it in her hand strengthened her resolve and gave her the courage to stand up to anyone, including Robin. Why she felt she needed to do that was anyone's guess.

"I don't know what it was originally, but I know what it is to me: it is my strength, my calmness and my courage. I feel whole with it at my side, as if it is the last piece in my life puzzle. Its surface, its color, its feeling; it's as if it was specifically made for me" Raven continued with conviction. Robin was still listening intently and his worries were growing stronger with every word that was uttered by Raven.

"The crystal was meant to be mine, I can feel it. It brings with it a calming and soothing presence that I've been in desperate need of without ever realizing it" Raven went on before pausing to close her hand into a fist around the crystal while closing her eyes. Robin could have sworn that Raven had to struggle not to cry.

"And now that undead maniac seeks to take it from me. The mere thought of parting with the crystal is nearly painful to me. It feels like when someone tries to take a dear family member from me" Raven concluded, her body trembling and her voice taking on an angry tone. Now Robin was really concerned, Raven was obviously completely obsessed with that crystal and Robin was getting worried that she would not give it up willingly. As much as he hated the thought, Robin figured that he would have to use force to take it. Raven would no doubt hate him for that but if it helped Starfire he could live with it. But as he gazed at the edges of the crystal that could be seen as it was clutched in Raven's fist, Robin found he could agree somewhat with Raven. It looked very nice and it had a slightly mysterious aura to it that intrigued Robin. He felt a small urge that he wanted to have a closer look at it, maybe even hold it if Raven allowed it. But then again, why should he ask for permission? He was the team leader after all, he could just tell her to hand it over to who it rightfully belonged to. Robin suddenly shook his head as if he just woke up from a confusing dream. _Where the hell did I get those ideas, _Robin thought, _I don't give a damn about that crystal. _While Robin shrugged off the last of those thoughts, the crystal was somewhat surprised, probably would have raised an eyebrow if it had any. The human showed a surprisingly strong resistance to its corrupting influence. Once Raven had fully embraced the crystal's power, it would have her look that up. Not that it cared to take Robin as a host instead of Raven but the pride in it could simply not tolerate the fact that a simple mortal could resist it. Not even that fool Ankhat had been able to resist it.

"Raven, I know this may be hard for you but you must understand that we have to do this. Starfire's life is at stake here and I can't let a friend die" Robin tried to reason with Raven, hoping that she would at least care enough for Starfire to do this.

"I know Robin" Raven simply said. Inwardly Robin let out a huge sigh of relief. At least he would not have to force her to go along with this.

"If you give it to me, I'll handle this" Robin offered kindly. Raven just shook her head.

"No Robin, I'll deliver the crystal" Raven stated. _And then tear the bastard Iron Mask to pieces, _she thought darkly. Robin nodded his head, figuring that arguing with her now would be pointless.

"The exchange will be in one and a half hour. We'll all gather in the living room before heading out" Robin explained while only receiving a nod from Raven. With that, he spun around and headed to his room. But as he left, he could not help thinking that it was for the best of them all if that crystal was removed from the team. Of course he did not plan on letting the enemy have it but he would make sure that none would have it. Raven meanwhile had not even moved from where she was standing, too focused on keeping her killing instincts reigned in until she could find that psychopathic zombie.

"_And here I thought he'd never leave" _a voice suddenly said. Raven stared around the room frantically for a second until she figured out that the voice had spoken in her head. But that confused her somewhat, since she could clearly discern that it was not the Voice that usually spoke in her head.

"_Who the hell are you?" _Raven snarled at the intruder. She did not know who it was and frankly did not care that much, whoever it was would soon feel very sorry that he ever intruded upon her mind.

"_Now I feel insulté. Have you so quickly forgotten me, ma douce petite Raven?" _the intruder asked sweetly. When hearing those last honeyed words in French it instantly clicked in Raven's head, about a second before something snapped in her.

"_YOU!" _Raven mentally screamed in murderous rage. Any mortal person who might have been present then would have shied away from her in her furious state. However, Iron Mask was neither mortal nor present and as such was unconcerned about her rage. In fact, he seemed to find it amusing since he started laughing.

"_I take it you're not very content to hear from me again" _Iron Mask said mockingly. Raven could feel her powers reacting to her anger spilling over so she, albeit reluctantly, reined in her anger and regained her calm mind.

"_So what is it you want this time then?" _Raven asked in icy politeness.

"_Simply to discuter a small change of plans"_ Iron Mask answered.

"_Go on" _Raven simply said.

"_Instead of the agreed upon time of the échange, I want you to délivre it right now. And I want it to be you alone, no one else must come. If I find out that you will arriver with anyone else, the deal is off" _Iron Mask explained in a warning tone. Raven nodded her head at the end, even though Iron Mask was not present to see it.

"_Anything else?" _Raven asked. There was some silence after her question and Raven started thinking that Iron Mask was done and had left, but then his voice cut that happy thought to pieces.

"_Oui, there's one last thing; you'll be going to a différent drop-off point" _Iron Mask said.

"_Where exactly?" _Raven pressed on. Even though they were not in the same part of town and despite the fact that Iron Mask always wore his iron mask, Raven could at that moment picture the sadistic smile on his face.

"_Where it all began" _Iron Mask answered cryptically before Raven felt his presence retreat from her mind. For a brief moment Raven was in deep thought as she tried to decipher what he meant. It did not take her long to realize what beginning he was talking about. Without a second thought she removed her communicator from her belt before unceremoniously dropping it on the floor. Raven raised her arms and gathered her energy in preparation for a teleportation. But as she was about to teleport away she hesitated. Casting a regretful look at her discarded communicator, she dispelled the gathered energy and lowered her arms. Even though she was doing this to save Starfire, at least that was what she kept telling herself, Raven could not shake away the feeling that she was betraying her friends with what she planned to do. Her right arm rose weakly and stretched a little towards the communicator, gathering energy to telekinetically move it to her hand, but once again she hesitated. The communicator lying on the floor was Raven's probably last connection to the Titans, in more ways than she could ever imagine or comprehend. If she picked it up again she could warn her friends and head out to complete the exchange with Iron Mask, thus saving Starfire but it would cost Raven the crystal. If Raven left the communicator she could probably both save Starfire and keep the crystal, but she would enter a dark path from which there was no going back from. Her arm trembled slightly in the air as se contemplated what to do. Her honorary side was shouting at her to pick up the communicator, that the life of a comrade was more important than a mere trinket. But then a more darker and twisted part of Raven whispered to her that if her plan succeeded then not only would Starfire be saved, but a dangerous villain would be permanently neutralized and more importantly; the crystal would be Raven's for all eternity. Soon the sinister side's honeyed whispers drowned out the righteous side's disbelieving shouts. Finally Raven made her mind up and without giving her decision a second thought, she dropped her arm and turned her back to the communicator.

"_This is the right thing to do" _the Voice said in her mind, to which she only nodded numbly. Raven strolled over to the center of the training room before raising her arms again and gathering energy. Before she left to meet Iron Mask, she would need to make a few quick stops in certain parts of the tower to gather the necessary equipment. Without warning, Raven was engulfed in dark energy and transformed into a massive raven before flying away, passing through the walls like a ghost. Left behind in her wake was the communicator as a grim reminder of Raven's decision. If she had only known the consequences her actions would bring in the future, she would no doubt have made a different choice.


	15. Chapter 15: Embrace the Darkness

Jump City

Unknown location

Silence was the first thing that greeted Starfire when she awoke, followed closely by darkness. She felt quite groggy at first, unsure whether she was awake or still sleeping. After a few moments Starfire could discern that wherever she was, she was not in a dream anymore. She was sitting in some kind of chair, but when she tried to stand up she found that she could not. Her legs were secured to the frontal chair legs while her arms were restrained to the elbow rests. Starfire found out to her mounting horror that her strength was not enough to break free of whatever it was that restrained her and her starbolts were equally as useless. Panicked seized her as the full implication of her predicament sunk in; she was alone in a dark place, restrained and powerless. Thousands of thoughts rushed through her panicked mind; the leading being in the form of where she was, what had happened and if anything had happened to her friends. But her desperate thoughts were interrupted when she heard a clanking sound in front of her. Soon a door opened and temporarily flooded the room with light. The person entering was only silhouetted by the light and Starfire could not discern any features. The door was soon closed again and darkness consumed all again. Starfire tried to identify where exactly the mysterious man was standing.

"W-who are y-you?" Starfire stammered weakly. In response to her question the room was flooded with light when the man turned on the light bulbs hanging from the ceiling. Starfire was temporarily blinded by the sudden light and squinted her eyes to see anything. Eventually her eyes adapted to the sudden illumination and Starfire could finally get a good look at her, she assumed, kidnapper. The moment she saw who it was she gave a gasp of surprise. The green colored Kevlar and gasmask were unmistakable. The Hunter stood as still as statue for a while, staring intently at Starfire. She found his gaze uncomfortable and diverted her own to the chair she was sitting in. Now that Starfire could get a look at it, she easily recognized it too. It was the same kind of chair that the British criminal Mad Mod had created for the Teen Titans, each one specially designed to nullify the Titans' powers. How the Hunter had managed to acquire the one that was designed to hold Starfire was beyond her understanding.

"Say what you will of the British, but they sure make things to hold" the Hunter noted calmly, sounding more like he was talking to himself than with Starfire. He then walked over to a corner and picked up an old chair before walking up to stand right in front of Starfire who eyed him fearfully. For several heartbeats, hundreds in Starfire's case, he just stood and watched her which in turn made her squirm around in discomfort. Then, with deliberate slowness, the Hunter reached behind his back. Starfire's eyes widened as she feared what form of hideous tool he would employ against her. But she steeled herself for whatever would come, she would be strong for her friends. Finally the Hunter retracted his arm and pulled out from behind his back a… newspaper? Before Starfire could even comprehend what he would possibly do with it, the Hunter placed the chair behind himself before taking a comfortable seat on it, swinging his right leg over his left and opening the newspaper and started reading; completely ignoring Starfire who was sitting right in front of him. She stared in confusion at the Hunter.

"Excuse me?" Starfire carefully asked, but the Hunter simply ignored her altogether. Even though she was kidnapped and the Hunter was probably the kidnapper, Starfire could not help but feel a little indignant over being ignored. But seeing that she was currently powerless Starfire guessed she was fortunate that he did not thought of doing something to her. So she tried to settle in and tried to endure this, in her opinion, awkward silence, while silently praying that her friends would come and rescue her soon.

…..

Speeding through the air like a bullet, Raven soon arrived at the place where it all began; the mine. She hovered a good distance up in the air, hood drawn up, so no one on the ground would notice her unless they had binoculars while doing a quick scan with her powers to see if there was anyone present at the entrance. Raven detected no one and satisfied that nobody would see or interfere she descended towards the entrance. As her boots made contact with the compacted earth, she became aware of the large number of crows perched on the branches of adjacent trees. Raven gave them not a second thought, she had honestly never expected of taking Iron Mask by surprise anyway. One of the crows abandoned its spot on a branch and flew over to land in front of Raven. She stared at it coldly before speaking.

"Where are you hiding?" Raven asked venomously knowing full well that Iron Mask could hear her. The crow first stared at her intently, and Raven got the impression that she was staring into the eyes of Iron Mask himself. Finally the crow took flight again, flying behind a nearby rock. It then returned to Raven with a glow rod in its talons which it deposited in Raven's outstretched hand. The crow then flew towards the entrance, croaking to Raven along the way. The mine had been abandoned following the first clash between the Titans and Iron Mask and as such there was no power running through it and keeping the lights on, leaving the mine to be swallowed up by the darkness. Raven snapped the rod, causing it to glow green, and then confidently walked into the crushing darkness of the mine. For how long she walked through that tunnel, Raven neither knew nor cared; all she cared about was finding Iron Mask and ending this once and for all. When she finally entered the cavern where she and Robin had faced off against Iron Mask she found that it was still the same as back then. The rocks were still scorched black by the acetylene explosion and old equipment still lay scattered around the place. The only thing that was missing were the corpses but whether they had been burned away or if someone had come along to collect them Raven did not know. It was at that moment Raven noticed a shimmering light coming from one of the wrecked storage buildings. She also noticed that the crow was standing at the entrance, seemingly waiting for her to come. Raven was at first hesitant since it could be a trap for all she knew, but she figured that she had gone too far to turn back now; the only route open was forward. Raven cautiously approached the building and peered inside, the crow patiently waiting for her to finish her investigation. Raven soon discovered that the source of the light was a swirling vortex of energy. She slowly approached it, keeping all her senses on high alert. As she reached the vortex, the crow that had accompanied her gave a croak before flying straight into the vortex. Staring at it in surprise for a moment, Raven eventually reached out with a hand and tentatively put her hand into the vortex. She could feel the energies in it swirl over her hand like water but it caused neither pain nor discomfort. When she pulled her hand out again, Raven brought it in front of her face and examined every part of skin that had been in contact with the vortex. She saw no deformity or damage on her hand.

"Well, here goes nothing" she said before taking a deep breath and stepping into the vortex. The sensation was like when you plunge into an underwater current that sweeps you away to wherever it will take you. The feeling only last for a few seconds before Raven is thrown out on the other side. Though Raven was used to teleportation, this mean of sudden transportation caught her unprepared and she stumbled forward and nearly fell over. But she managed to steady herself at the last second. Taking a few seconds to collect herself, Raven then took in her surroundings. For some odd reason she was not surprised to find that the vortex had transported her to the castle hall where she had originally found the crystal. The seven warrior statues and their deformed counterparts were still standing were they had before, the globes were still present while illuminating the vast hall and even the throne which the skeleton had been sitting on was exactly where Raven had left it. The only thing that was missing was the skeleton itself. The missing skeleton was of no concern to Raven, what concerned her was where the hell that undead freak Iron Mask was hiding. Even that blasted crow that had led her here was gone. Raven carefully stalked forward, the vortex still swirling behind her.

"_Bonjour ma belle fille démoniaque!" _Iron Mask suddenly called out to her. Raven wildly looked around for a few moments before her gaze finally locked onto Iron Mask, who was casually standing on the samurai statue's shoulder while leaning his back against its head. A low growl unintentionally crept out of Raven's throat but aside from that and the death glare she was giving Iron Mask, she showed no other reaction to his presence. The silent standoff continued for quite a while until Raven decided to break the ice.

"Are you going to stand up there and spew out your French gibberish at me all day or what?" Raven sarcastically asked. A low chuckle came from Iron Mask in response.

"_Humoristique_ as ever, I see" Iron Mask remarked amusedly. Raven just scoffed.

"I don't have a sense of humor" she stated coldly. Iron Mask simply shrugged his shoulders before jumping off the statue and nimbly landing on the ground. Clasping his hands behind his back, he slowly started to walk towards the throne, never once taking his eyes from Raven. Raven herself in response did not back down but instead edged to the side, in a way mirroring Iron Mask's movements although in a different direction. When Iron Mask reached the throne he kept on walking, now starting to walk in a sweeping arc. With Raven mirroring his movements, the two began to circle each other.

"Aren't you going to demand that I hand over the crystal?" Raven finally asked. Iron Mask chuckled darkly.

"Why _rush_ it? I have no _intérêt_ in the crystal, it's _mon patron _Alexander Cole who wants it. Besides, it's not every day I get the _chance_ to have a pleasant little _conversation_ with such a lovely girl as you" Iron Mask answered. Raven had to admit, he sure knew how to sweet-talk a girl. His answer would have probably caused Raven to blush had she not had nothing else than pure hatred towards him in her. But instead of suppressing that hatred as she would usually do, she instead embraced it; letting it fuel her strength, washing away any doubts or uncertainties she had and giving her focus for the task at hand. But Raven did not release it directly, instead letting the strength build up, like a lioness waiting for the right moment to pounce on an unsuspecting prey. But one thing he had said really caught her interest.

"Wait, is Alexander your boss?" Raven asked harshly. Iron Mask nodded his head.

"_Oui bien sur,_ who else do you think could afford such a _massive_ _opération_ as this. Though the idiot has no true _idée_ of what the crystal truly is, he just thinks it's a _simple_ weapon or power source that can be used by anyone" Iron Mask explained. Raven raised an eyebrow when he mentioned the last part.

"And you're saying it's not?" she asked dryly.

"_Oui, _it's something far greater than a _simple_ tool. But I'm not about to spoil the _surprise_ by telling you what it truly is" Iron Mask answered humorously. Raven remained impassive.

"You know you don't have to be so _negative_. I for one is enjoying this pleasant little _conversation_ we're having" Iron Mask offered courtly. Raven just snorted.

"Speak for yourself. I just want to get this over with so we can have Starfire back" Raven retorted coldly. _And rip your fucking heart from your chest before destroying every last molecule of you, _she added darkly in her mind. Raven knew that she was acting more and more vicious and daemon-like than before but she did not care a bit about it. Iron Mask simply sighed.

"_Trés bien, _if you _insiste_" he said before reaching out with his right hand, indicating for her to hand the crystal over. Raven narrowed her eyes as the two stopped their circling of each other.

"First you tell me where Starfire is, then you get it" she stated with finality in her tone. Iron Mask lowered his hand in response.

"How do I know you will hand it over if I give you that _information_?" Iron Mask asked suspiciously. Raven merely shrugged her shoulders.

"How do I know you would tell me where she is if I hand the crystal over first?" she countered. Iron Mask could not help but smile underneath his mask. This was indeed a dilemma. Suddenly he came up with a fun little idea.

"_D'accord_, we'll do it your way if you swear on your _honneur_ as a full-fledged member of the Teen Titans that you will keep up your end of the bargain" Iron Mask explained smugly. Raven's eyes widened in surprise before her features were set into a deep scowl. But in the end she relented.

"Alright, I swear" Raven said bitterly. Iron Mask nodded his head.

"She's being held in _appartement _number 16 on Sickery Street" Iron Mask answered before holding out his hand again. _Moment of truth, _Iron Mask thought sinisterly. Raven fumbled around with her hands inside her cloak, obviously trying to find something. Finally grasping what she had been searching for, Raven threw her cloak open to reveal the twin blasters clutched in her hands. They were of the model used by Slade's robot minions that Raven had looted from the evidence room. Setting the levels to lethal, Raven aimed them at Iron Mask and holding in the triggers on both weapons,created two constant laser beams. The laser beams crossed each other in an x just before reaching Iron Mask who had still not bothered to move. Raven did not give him a chance to react as she moved her arms wide out, causing one beam to slice Iron Mask in two at the waist and the other to decapitate him. Before he could even summon his crows to either protect or repair him, Raven had discarded the blasters and pulled out a trio of Robin's explosive discs and threw them at her downed opponent. However, Raven had never used those kinds of weapons before and the discs seemed to be flying wide off their marks, but Raven compensated for this by using her powers to guide them straight into their original target. The subsequent explosions tore Iron Mask's body apart, leaving him as heap of limbs, bone and meat. But Raven was in no way done yet. She used her powers to rip off every weapon from the statues, positioned them above Iron Mask's remnants and then rammed them with all her might straight down. And just to be on the safe side Raven tore the head from the knight Hospitaler statue and used it as a club to smash the remnants of Iron Mask over and over. She did not stop until the head was itself smashed to pieces from the constant beating. Raven was breathing heavily at this point, though more from adrenaline rush than from fatigue.

"I take it you won't be handing over the crystal" Iron Mask stated humorously, his voice echoing across the hall. Raven immediately tensed up, cursing under her breath. That had been her one and only chance to end this fight quickly. Getting him into a similar position now would be next to impossible. She briefly considered retreating; after all, she knew where Starfire was so she could just teleport there, get Starfire to safety and still keep the crystal. The idea was there, but not the will to execute it. Raven's daemon blood was boiling at this point, it demanded more blood; a demand Raven was more than willing to indulge herself in at that point. She quickly moved to the center of the hall, making it harder for Iron Mask to sneak up on her. Knowing that the next move was Iron Mask's, Raven settled into a defensive stance and awaited the madman's attack.

"Do you know what these _statues_ _représentent_, Raven?" Iron Mask suddenly called out to her. She did not even bother to answer. He seemed to take the silence as a no as he kept going.

"The _statues_ that are fashioned after normal _humain_ warriors are meant to _représenter_ the good aspects of us all; _honneur_, duty, loyalty, love, selflessness and all those other weak and useless aspects of _les humains_" Iron Mask explained, disgust plain in his voice when he mentioned the last part.

"The _statues_ on the opposite side on the other hand are meant to _représenter_ the corrupted and _déformé_ sides of _humanité_; greed, hatred, envy, anger and so on" Iron Mask continued. Raven had tried to locate where his voice was coming from but it seemed to bounce around and he himself kept moving around all the time, she could hear his feet shuffling around as he slipped from one patch of shadows to the next.

"In short; they _représentent_ the _démon_ in us all" he concluded. Raven's brows furrowed in thought from that.

"Something that we both know about all too well" Raven remarked dryly.

"_Exactement_, _ma chère_. Though what most fail to _réaliser_ is that you can never get rid of your _démon, _nor can you suppress it forever; you will always feel jealous over someone, you will always hate something and you will always want something that you can't have" Iron Mask went on to explain. Raven was unsure why she was even listening to what this madman was saying but for some reason she found his speech captivating and actually wanted to hear more. Something that Iron Mask more than willingly delivered.

"I mean just look at yourself. You've suppressed your _démon_ ever since you were born. Always living in fear of what could happen if you let it out, never living your life without restraining yourself. But despite how much you _combats_ it, you will never win over it. It will just work even harder to break free" Iron Mask continued to explain.

"Maybe, but it's the only thing I can do" Raven responded.

"That's where you're wrong. There's another _option_ for you. And that's to stop _combattre _who you really are and _embrasser_ it instead. No one can defeat their _démon_, all we can do is let it out before it tears us apart" Iron Mask concluded. Raven was still trying to locate him but there seemed to be no trace of his mere presence, other than his voice. Yet Raven had the uncomfortable feeling that he was close, and that he was somehow getting closer.

"What exactly do you want?" Raven asked, trying to bait him into another long speech to locate him.

"It's quite _simple_ really…" Iron Mask whispered to her and Raven instantly knew where he was. She gathered dark energy in her hands and twirled around to come face to face with her opponent. But before she could unleash her energy, her wrists were caught by Iron Mask's hands and were held in an iron grip.

"… I'm here to help you letting your _démon_ out" he finished. He suddenly brought his foot up and kicked Raven in the stomach, letting go of her wrists at the same time and sending her tumbling to the floor. Raven quickly got back to her feet and assumed a fighting stance. Iron Mask just cracked his neck.

"Let's _danser_" was all he said before drawing a gun from behind his back and opened fire on Raven. She formed a black energy barrier to stop the bullets before forming five black blades above her head and launching them at Iron Mask. He did not even try to dodge them as they pierced him. In response, the whole hall seemed to explode as thousands of crows darted out of every dark corner, all of them targeting Raven. Quickly forming a dome to protect herself, Raven then used her powers to pick up the two blasters she had discarded earlier, bringing them over her dome and pressing the triggers down with her powers. Two laser beams came out in response and Raven started weaving the blasters in every direction, the laser beams slicing everything that got in their way. Raven also formed dozens of black needles and used them to bombard the crows. Using this combo, Raven killed hundreds of crows but as before there seemed to be an infinite number of them.

"Is this all you got?" Raven shouted out to Iron Mask who was hiding somewhere among the crows. Raven suddenly felt something impact with her dome from behind seconds before an explosion echoed across the hall. Raven's dome was instantly shattered and she herself was hurled away from the shock wave before colliding with the floor. For several heartbeats, all Raven saw were stars and her ears were ringing.

"What the hell hit me?" Raven groggily asked when she finally had gathered her bearings and could stand up again. Thankfully the crows had not even tried to attack Raven in her disoriented state. They were currently circling a good distance from her and if Raven did not know better, she could have sworn they seemed to be waiting for her to recover. Her eyes soon however fell on Iron Mask as he casually strolled out of the swarm of crows. Immediately when Raven saw him her earlier question was answered as he was holding a grenade launcher in his hands. Raven could practically see the gloating smile plastered on his face as he observed her.

"Never underestimate the _pouvoir_ of good old hand held weapons" he stated amusedly. Raven simply chose to glare daggers at him. Without another word spoken, Iron Mask aimed the grenade launcher at Raven and fired another shot. This time she was ready and immediately took to the air. The explosion that followed threw Raven a little off balance but she managed to stay in the air. What followed was a true test of Raven's flying skills as she was forced to evade flocks of crows attacking her from every possible angle while also dodging incoming grenades from the maniacally laughing Iron Mask. Raven tried several times to gather her dark energy to counterattack but the damn crows never gave her a chance to complete either a complicated spell or a high powered attack, all she could do was focusing on staying afloat while keeping any crows she could not evade at arm's length. But this aerial display abruptly ended when Iron Mask got a lucky shot with his grenade launcher and the shot hit a crow a few feet from Raven. The explosion seared her right arm and cheek while shrapnel sprayed her body, one piercing her right eye. She gave a scream of pain as she was hurled from the air and crashed heavily onto the floor. At first she just lay there, paralyzed by pain. Her right eye was completely shredded and useless as the ruined eye socket wept tears of blood. Her other eye was not very helpful either at the moment as her vision kept spinning. She tried to stand up but the pain was currently too much and the best she could do was prop herself up on her left elbow. Biting back the tears of pain, Raven made a quick check of her body. Her right leg was riddled with shrapnel and her right arm had third degree burns on it. She was barely able to move either of them.

"Come on now, use it" Iron Mask suddenly said to her. Raven quickly turned her gaze to her left to see him strolling towards her, grenade launcher idly clutched in his hands. Raven began to crawl away, moaning in pain from moving her battered and bleeding body, but Iron Mask easily kept up with her slow pace.

"What are you waiting for? The _pouvoir_ is right there, all you have to do is reach out and take it. You can't _défaite_ me without it" he continued. Even though she was in deep pain she managed to stare at Iron Mask in confusion.

"What the hell are you talking about?" she asked him angrily. Iron Mask momentarily halted in his advance before he started chuckling.

"So you haven't figured it out yet. But don't worry, you will soon enough" Iron Mask answered darkly before aiming the grenade launcher at her again. Raven's left eye widened in fear upon seeing it, since there was no way she could form a barrier in this condition to stop a grenade and she was far to wounded to dodge the shot. It was then that an idea came to mind. It was risky since she had never done such a thing but in her current situation it was worth a shot. Raising her left arm, Raven gathered her dark energy and formed a barrier. But not in front of herself, but in the barrel of the grenade launcher. Iron Mask never saw it and as such pulled the trigger, firing a grenade straight into the barrier and detonating. Raven would have at that time loved to see Iron Mask's face as his grenade launcher exploded, taking both his arms with it as well as peppering his body with shrapnel and throwing him back to fittingly land straight on the throne.

Raven quickly capitalized on her opponent's setback and formed a massive black talon in her left hand and launched it towards Iron Mask. He tried to get up and dodge it but was not fast enough as the talon dug deep into his chest before violently ripping it wide open to expose Iron Mask's corrupted lungs and heart for the world, though as usual he showed no obvious pain or discomfort with that. It was then that the crows seemed to decide to remind Raven of their presence as they dived for both Raven and Iron Mask. The crows landing on Iron Mask quickly started melting and repairing all the damage done to his body. Raven meanwhile tried to form a barrier around herself but the crows threw themselves carelessly at it, causing it to buckle and slowly recede through sheer force of numbers. Raven threw every last reserve of strength at maintaining the barrier but it was obvious that in a test of endurance, those abominable crows would outlast her by decades. Already her strength was waning, her numerous wounds taking their toll on her. Her vision was starting to become blurry from exhaustion but she stubbornly held out. Raven desperately tried to push back but it was like trying to push a statue with nothing but your own muscles. She was so focused on keeping the barrier up that she never noticed that Iron Mask was slowly walking towards her. He walked straight up to the barrier and at first he just stood there, seemingly observing the barrier like a unique painting. Suddenly he swung around and delivered a roundhouse kick straight into the barrier. That proved to be the last beating it could take as it shattered like glass. Completely drained of energy, Raven collapsed on her back to the floor while drawing in deep ragged breaths.

"Already out of breath?" Iron Mask curiously asked with his hands clasped behind his back. Raven could not even give him one of her death glares at the moment, so she just lay there. Iron Mask casually strolled over to her, whistling a tune to himself along the way.

"Here, let me _aider_ you" he said as he kneeled at Raven's head and pulled her to him. Raven tried to fight back but it was like a child fighting a parent. Eventually Iron Mask had managed to pull Raven into his embrace so her head was resting against his chest. Raven tried to break free but Iron Mask easily held her pinned to him with one arm over her chest. In desperation she fully let go of her control and tried to unleash all her energy on him but to her horror she found that something was repressing them yet again. She twisted and squirmed but nothing worked to break free. Iron Mask gently pulled her hood down while a pitiful whimper managed to escape her throat. It had been so long since she had felt this way; weak, desperate, vulnerable and afraid. Raven usually did not like psychical contact, but this was worse than she could ever imagine. Being this close to Iron Mask, Raven could practically taste the black and twisted magic that flowed through this abomination and kept it alive even though it should have perished centuries ago. To her, it felt like an oily fume that was slowly choking her.

"Shhh, _calmer_. I _promesse_ you, this will be over _rapidement_" Iron Mask soothingly said while gently stroking her hair. Had anyone walked in at that moment, they probably would have thought that the scene was a lover comforting his beloved. How wrong appearances can be sometimes. But if Iron Mask was actually trying to calm Raven down, he failed miserably as she just kept on struggling in his grip. Slowly, his hand that had been stroking her hair moved down towards her belt. Raven only noticed this when he removed the crystal from her belt. Iron Mask held it up so they both could behold its beauty. Raven's struggle instantly ceased as she gazed upon the most precious thing in her life.

"Amazing, is it not. Just a little piece of jewelry at first glance but in _réalité_ the container of a _pouvoir_ greater than anything on this Earth…" Iron Mask explained in awe, his eyes seemingly glued to the crystal. But eventually he tore his gaze from it to regard the awestruck Raven still clutched in his arm.

"… A _pouvoir_ that was created for our kind, Raven" Iron Mask finally added in a husky tone. Raven suddenly tore her own gaze from the crystal to stare at Iron Mask in chock.

"I would have _personnellement_ loved to take the _pouvoir_ for myself, but that will never happen. The only thing in this world that the crystal despises are undead _créatures_ and as such would never give its _pouvoir_ to such a _créature_" Iron Mask continued to explain to the half daemon clutched in his iron grip. Finally Raven seemed to find her voice.

"And does all this have to do with me?" Raven asked with as much strength she could muster, but even in her own ears her voice sounded weak and broken.

"Can't you figure it out? The crystal was _forgé_ for our kind. The only half _démons_ I know about that are still alive are you and me. And since I'll never get its _pouvoir_, the crystal's _pouvoir_ is yours" Iron Mask answered with what could be described as pride in his voice. Raven was uncertain what she should feel about it all. Here she was, a Teen Titan, locked in a tight embrace with an enemy and being told that the pretty crystal she has been carrying around was in fact a powerful magical item and that it was hers. Suddenly Iron Mask sighed deeply.

"But that all _dépend_ on if you will _survivre_ this" he said in a tone that sounded somewhere between bored and regretful. He then gripped it as if it was a knife and positioned it above Raven's heart.

"For you to harness its _pouvoir_, you must first become one with it" Iron Mask added as an explanation. For the first time since finding the crystal, Raven actually stared at the crystal in fear. Her struggles renewed when faced with the possibility of death. Sure, the crystal was the most precious thing to her, but there was no way she was going to die because of it.

"Stop it! I don't want it!" Raven nearly screamed in fear while feverishly clawing at the arm pinning her in place, even managing to draw blood. Iron Mask stared at her form for a few seconds before he started laughing.

"You seem to misunderstand this, Raven. Either you will _embrasser_ the crystal's _pouvoir_ or you will die. There's nothing in between" he stated humorously. Raven nevertheless continued with her struggles, though without the earlier energy. She came to the realization that she could not escape what was coming, she was too weak and battered. Weak, that part stung more than anything else. Raven seemed to be haunted by that ever constant word; she had been too weak to stop Slade, she had been too weak to defy Trigon and now she was too weak to defeat Iron Mask. But Iron Mask had said that the crystal contained power that was hers by right. As much as she hated to admit it, this may be just what she needed. Scratch that; this **was **what she needed. Raven's earlier fear now became the fuel for her ever growing anger and that anger strengthened her determination. She would survive this, she would become stronger and she would make them pay.

"You better be miles from here when I've recovered, or you'll never recover from what I'll do to you" Raven growled out to Iron Mask who merely laughed more.

"_Peut-être_. But for now, I'd suggest that you close your eyes" he answered. Raven was not sure why she did it, but for some reason she did close her eyes. Her whole body was tensing up, waiting for the blow to land. Suddenly Raven felt a sharp object pierce her heart and she gasped out in pain and surprise while her only good eye flew wide open. She felt herself being gently lowered to the floor. Her vision started to darken but she was still able to make out Iron Mask's form standing over her. With her last bit of strength, Raven managed to snarl out two words to Iron Mask before darkness swallowed her up.

"Fuck you"

…..

"_WAKE UP!" _a voice shouted without warning and Raven bolted upright in chock. Raven took in several gulps of air as if she had just surfaced from a sea. Her heart was pounding in her chest with such force that Raven thought it would burst from her chest at any moment. Her eyes were drawn to her right arm to find that it was for some reason completely healed. In fact, all the damage she had sustained was for some reason gone. Groggily getting back on her feet, Raven finally observed her surroundings. That was when she made a most surprising discovery. She was standing on a rock that was seemingly floating in the middle of space. The rock was barren of anything and was about as large as a house. Surrounding her rock were several others of different sizes; some just small boulders while others were as big as cities. But it was not the landscape that surprised her, it was the fact that she knew what this place was. This was a part of her mind called Nevermore. Raven had always been forced to have a strong control on her emotions and for that reason her subconscious had used Raven's powers to shape a world in her mind where her emotions could be safely contained and monitored. This was a place where Raven's emotions could be fully expressed without harm. Though one side effect of this world was that her emotions were given physical forms that walked around freely in this world, even claiming certain parts of it as their own and fashioning it after their style. At least this explained why Raven was no longer wounded, she was probably only here in spiritual form while her real body was still in the real world.

"_So we finally meet, Raven" _the voice from before said and it sounded very familiar to Raven. Sensing that something was behind her, Raven turned around to see a peculiar thing. A bush had suddenly appeared on the rock she was on. Though the strange thing about the bush was that it was on fire, but was not consumed by the flames. Raven cautiously approached the bush.

"Who are you?" Raven asked suspiciously. You would think that Raven was insane if she was standing and talking to a burning bush but this was her mind, nothing in this realm could be defined by what normal people called reality. Besides, Raven remembered something similar to this being mentioned in the Bible. In response to her question, a friendly laughter echoed in her head, though Raven was certain that it was originating from the bush.

"_Can't you figure it out? I've been keeping you company for the better part of nearly a week" _the burning bush responded. It instantly clicked in Raven's head who it was she was talking to.

"You're the Voice" Raven exclaimed wide eyed. The flames momentarily formed into what looked like a smile. Raven looked around at Nevermore before returning her gaze to the Voice.

"But how can you be here?" she asked. The Voice began to laugh from her question.

"_You honestly don't know? I guess there is some truth to the saying that you never see the things right under your nose" _the Voice said amusedly. Raven just blinked in surprise. Her mind was currently not at its sharpest and was not really sure what the Voice was talking about.

"_Raven, I am the crystal you've been carrying around. The one that currently pierces your heart" _the crystal explained gravely, all traces of humor gone. Now that the crystal mentioned it, Raven had a cold feeling in her heart; literally. Looking down she saw that the crystal was still imbedded in her heart. Raven once again looked at the burning bush in chock.

"Does this mean I'm dead?" she asked.

"_No, not yet. But if we don't act now you soon will be" _the crystal before the flames on the bush started to recede.

"_But if we are to solve this issue, I think you need to see me in my true form…" _the crystal explained darkly. The flames were nearly gone from the bush by now, but suddenly the flames roared to new and terrible life. This time however, the flames were as black as the deepest abyss while oily black smoke spewed forth from the unholy flames. Raven was forced to step back, both from the violent flames lashing out in every direction but also from the sheer amount of dark magic that pulsated from those flames. In the black flames, a shape could be seen emerging. It was shrouded in the dark flames and the smoke but you could discern a large muscular chest, two bulked out arms with razor sharp claws and a head with two horns jutting out from its sides before bending forward. Two eyes burned balefully in the monster's head but Raven could not see any nose or mouth. Then again, it was a surprise that she could actually see anything of the monster as it stood right in the black flames.

"_**I am the Daemon Lord Mal'Bolough!" **_the creature said in Raven's head, its voice dark and daemonic. It now towered two meters in the air, a pair of wing unfolding themselves from its back, and it stared down upon Raven who backed away in fear. _This _was what she had taken into her life? Raven was already deeply regretting ever finding that crystal in the first place. She suddenly heard a rumbling sound in her head. Raven had at first no idea what that sound was but finally she realized that it was a chuckle she heard.

"_**You don't need to fear me, child. If I wanted to harm you, I could have done it the moment you found me" **_Mal'Bolough explained in a friendly tone, or as close to a friendly tone as a daemonic lord could come. Surprisingly enough, Raven actually found that she could trust what this daemon was saying. Swallowing her earlier fear, Raven steeled herself and walked to stand in front of the hulking creature again. Though Raven could not help but feel like an insignificant little child as she was forced to look upwards in order to make eye contact with Mal'Bolough.

"Just what exactly is going on here? Why are you even here and how come we are both in Nevermore?" Raven demanded irritably of the daemon. Mal'Bolough himself was pleasantly surprised, the girl had overcome her fear of him rather quickly. Hopefully that meant that the bonding process would be done faster. But at the moment his new host had demanded answers on some complicated question and Mal'Bolough had not the time right now to answer them. He shook his head and gave a tired sigh.

"_**Listen, we don't have time to ask so many questions. Your body is dying and if we don't hurry, you'll be lost forever!" **_Mal'Bolough stated seriously. Raven's features instantly hardened when hearing about the possibility of her death.

"What exactly are you saying that I must do?" she carefully asked.

"_**My power has already entered your body and is working on keeping you alive for as long as possible. But in order to save your life, you must allow my power to enter your very soul" **_Mal'Bolough explained to Raven. In response, Raven suddenly looked as if her father had risen from the grave and took a few steps back and raised her arms in a defensive way. Mal'Bolough tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

"_**Something troubles you?" **_he asked curiously. Raven gave him a cold glare before answering.

"You're asking me to let you, a daemon just like my despicable father, get inside my own soul! Add to the fact that no encounter with daemons has ever been pleasant to me! You do the math from there!" Raven snarled at him. Mal'Bolough tiredly shook his head. Human stubbornness, though quite a powerful weapon in the right hands could be a real pain in the ass sometimes.

"_**What are you afraid of?"**_ Mal'Bolough asked kindly. If the direct approach would not work, then he would have to play subtle.

"To put it bluntly, I'm afraid that if I let you in you'll just take control of me and use me like my father did" Raven answered coldly, never once letting her guard down. Mal'Bolough chose to laugh at her answer, causing Raven to raise an eyebrow.

"_**No, that's what you **__**suspect**__** will happen, what it is you truly fear is what your friends would say if they found out you had a daemon living in you. You fear that they will view you as an abomination that needed to be destroyed" **_Mal'Bolough stated with a small amount of humor. This part he always enjoyed, toying with people's minds until they lost their own point of view and instead saw his. He could easily see that he had scored a point as Raven visibly twitched.

"You're just babbling nonsense like you always do" Raven retorted, though it sounded half-heartedly to Mal'Bolough's ears. She was already wavering, this would be easier than he though.

"_**Then why do I detect doubt in your voice? Is it because you know that they would never accept you now?" **_Mal'Bolough pressed on. Raven's hands tightened into fists as she glared at him.

"Just what exactly does this all have to do with my current predicament?" Raven asked angrily, trying to redirect the discussion.

"_**Simply the fact that if they truly were your friends, they wouldn't care who or what you are. Obviously you don't expect that they will" **_Mal'Bolough answered. Raven was now beginning to tremble in rage, not so much from what he was saying but more from the fact that they made sense to her.

"_**But if you accept my power, then you will never have to worry about that again. You'll be able to prove to them that you've become stronger than before, that this power is a gift and not a curse" **_Mal'Bolough explained with conviction. Raven eyed him skeptically. But Mal'Bolough could already see that Raven had taken the bait, now he just needed to reel her in.

"How do I know you aren't just trying to trick me here? For all I know you'll just turn me into your puppet the moment you gain access to my soul" Raven eventually asked doubtfully. In her experience, daemons always tried to trick mortals with promises of power only to go back on their word for their own amusement.

"_**I don't know if this will help, but I give you my word that I speak the truth. Not only will I give you power, but also knowledge. I know spells that haven't been uttered by mortal tongues in millennia's and rituals that have never been practiced by humans. I have access to the greatest works of literature this world have ever produced. I hold vast pools of experience and wisdom in the arcane that no mortal could ever surpass. All of this and more will be yours if you want it" **_Mal'Bolough tantalizingly offered, and in that moment he knew that Raven was his. For in her eyes he could see the desire to attain the power and knowledge she had always wanted but never gotten. But still her bonds of friendship stayed her hand from reaching out and claiming what she wanted. In Raven, a fierce battle was being waged where her human side tried to make her see reason, that this creature was evil and would only lead her to damnation, while her daemon side was assuring her that this was a gift that she would be a fool to decline, that this was just what she needed. As this battle raged on, several explosions occurred on the rock. Each explosion was in a different color and when the energy and smoke cleared, Mal'Bolough and Raven were standing in the middle of a circle of Raven duplicates, each one in a different colored cloak. These were all of Raven's emotions, given physical form in Nevermore. Meanwhile, in a desperate bid to make her rethink what she wanted to do, her human side brought forth an image of her friends in Raven's head as well as the thought that if she accepted this deal, then she would bring misery to them. But to everyone present, even Mal'Bolough who had secretly been observing this internal struggle, Raven became infuriated by that thought.

"Always trying to guilty me into doing things, always making me worry about all of your well-being, always pushing me around…" Raven muttered darkly under her breath. All her pent up frustration and anger from the week that so far had not had a target now spilling out and targeted the first thing Raven could come up with; the Teen Titans.

"… Even now, when we're miles from each other, you seek to decide how I should act, what I should do and who I should trust!" Raven was now snarling, all her thoughts about friendship, loyalty and goodness being violently expunged from her mind. Her eyes met with Mal'Bolough's again and Raven's eyes were burning with the desire to attain greatness.

"No more!" Raven stated with conviction and before she could rethink her choice, she walked up and thrust both her arms into the black fire. The flames were searing her flesh but Raven ignored the pain. Soon the flames traveled up her arms to engulf her entire body but it no longer hurt, in fact it felt rejuvenating. Her whole body felt like it was overflowing with unimaginable power, and Raven loved every second of it. Mal'Bolough's laughter soon echoed across Nevermore.

"_**NOW… WE… ARE… ONE!" **_he cried out in triumph.

…..

The first sign that something was happening was when Raven gave a slight twitch where she was lying on the floor. Iron Mask was currently seated on the throne and was idly polishing his gun. He stopped the moment he saw Raven twitch. It did not take long for the reek of dark magic to reach Iron Mask's senses and it sent a tingle through his body. Raven's whole body suddenly gave one spasm as black smoke formed from her body. Her body rose up from the ground, seemingly pushed up by some invisible force. The lights in the hall dimmed as darkness spread from Raven across the hall. Sizzling sounds could be heard as the wounds on Raven were literally burned off her body. The shrapnel's in her body were pushed out by dark energy before the wounds closed over. Darkness spread across her clothes, repairing the damages and restoring them to prime condition. Raven's eyes snapped wide open and she gave a surprised gasp as she felt the power literally flow through her veins, strengthening her body and healing battered and damaged muscles. Even her right eye opened, blood swirling violently in the eye socket. It soon hardened into a new eye for her, this one the color of crimson blood and it gave off a faint glow. A smile formed upon Raven's face as she relished in this incredible power she had been given. She felt like a whole new person, one with far greater power than her older self. That smile soon became more sinister as her eyes fell upon Iron Mask who had now stood up. The cruel expression Raven wore on her face actually sent a shill down Iron Mask's spine.

"Ready for round two?" Raven asked in a mischievous tone. Something told Iron Mask that this was going to hurt, regardless of his immortality.


	16. Chapter 16: Assaulting Cole Industries

The two combatants stood facing each other; Iron Mask calmly sizing up his opponent, Raven grinning in anticipation. Although the original reason for this battle was over and they could both walk away, neither of them did. Iron Mask's reason for staying in the fight was shrouded in mystery at this point, his main objective had been completed. Raven's reason was because of the power she had been given by Mal'Bolough. It felt great to her, so naturally blending with her own and she was burning with the desire to test these new powers out. And she was so lucky that she had an immortal dummy right in front of her.

"Shall we?" Iron Mask asked before making a casual flick with his right hand, causing his swarm of crows to attack. They all dived straight towards Raven, yet she did not move an inch. She was soon buried under a living carpet of crows. Iron Mask stared at the scene in puzzlement, he could not fathom why Raven had not even tried to fight back. He waved his crows away to get a better look, only to stare at an empty spot previously occupied by Raven. But Iron Mask was not given a chance to recover from his surprise.

"My turn" Raven sneered from seemingly all around Iron Mask. Suddenly the very shadows seemed to come alive as hundreds of dark tendrils were launched from them straight into the swarm of crows, wildly twisting around in every direction to skewer any and all crows that they could catch. Iron Mask himself was not spared from this sudden onslaught as Raven materialized right in front of him with a maniacal smile plastered on her face and a murderous glint in her right eye. She brought her left fist which was encompassed in dark energy straight into Iron Mask's chest, smashing through muscles and ribs with contemptuous ease. Her hand closed around his black heart and violently ripped it straight out of his chest. But Iron Mask retaliated by head butting Raven as hard as he could. There was the unmistakable sound of bones breaking as Iron Mask hit Raven straight on her nose and blood spurted out of it. Raven stumbled back in disorientation, only to be hit by a kick in the chest from Iron Mask. His crows quickly closing in to rip Raven to pieces. Even though Iron Mask had planned on uniting Raven and Mal'Bolough, there was no chance in hell he was going to go easy on her. This was now a test to see if Raven had what it took to wield Mal'Bolough's power. And should she fail, there would be no second chance. The crows crashed into Raven and forced her down through sheer force of numbers. But those crows were obliterated by a blast of dark energy Raven sent out from her whole body. The crows in response began to circle her in vast numbers, creating what looked like a whirlwind of birds with Raven at its center. Raven formed dozens of dark blades and tendrils and began hacking her way through. But it was useless as the moment she cut down a crow, three others filled in its place.

"You're going to have to do better than that if you want to _défaire _me" Iron Mask stated from somewhere in the massive swarm of crows. Even though Raven hated to admit it, Iron Mask was right. She was making no headway at the moment, she needed something else.

"_**Use the Nightfire, Raven" **_Mal'Bolough suddenly said in her head. She blinked in confusion. _Nightfire, _she thought in puzzlement, _what the hell is that?_ In answer to her question, Raven felt something seep into her mind. Instantly her head was filled with all the knowledge that Mal'Bolough possessed on the Nightfire; what it did, how strong it was and how to control it. Raven closed her eyes and focused all her energy on the task. She held both her hands in front of her as if she was clutching an invisible object in them. Raven pictured in her mind the flames appearing in her hand, imagined the amount of energy she needed to use to keep the flames going. In response, black flames suddenly roared to terrible life in her hands. Raven wasted no time in letting the flames expand before launching them like a tidal wave of fire and darkness in every direction to incinerate every crow that was not fast enough to get out of the way. As the ashes from the crows rained down, Raven smiled to herself in satisfaction. The Nightfire, a magical flame that was created during the Dark Ages. It was a terrible weapon, an unholy fire that could only be extinguished by the caster and that could burn forever. It had taken its creator a whole decade to create it, another to master it. The fastest person ever to learn its secrets had done it in four months and Raven had just done it in a matter of seconds. This deal she had entered was becoming more and more promising. Raven's eyes scanned the battlefield, her left eye glowing an infernal red, in search of her opponent.

"I must _admettre_ Raven. That was, as your _amis_ would put it, awesome" Iron Mask said humorously from behind. Raven smiled to herself as she calmly turned around to see Iron Mask leisurely leaning against the deformed Viking statue. Raven was not surprised to see that the damage done to him had been repaired.

"I told you that you should have run while you still had the chance. Now I will make you very, _very_ sorry that you ever crossed path with me" Raven responded maliciously while drawing her hood back up, cloaking the upper parts of her face in shadows except for her left eye that shone with ever increasing strength. Iron Mask had to admit, Raven looked pretty scary with her hood and cloak hiding most of her body and that single red eye staring out from what almost looked like a dark abyss. That smile she wore on her face, which practically screamed "I'm going to kill you in the slowest and most painful way possible and enjoy every second of it" also contributed to the scary factor. But holding true to his psychotic and generally fearless character, Iron Mask simply laughed at her remark.

"I hardly think that you could do any such thing, girl. I'm _immortel_ in case you've forgotten, I've lived through things that could have killed a _démon_. You can stand there and throw _attaque_ after _attaque_ at me all day long and the only thing you'll do is tire yourself out. I'll just _réformer_ my physical _forme_. Whatever you do against me, you'll never be able to kill me" Iron Mask ranted on. Raven's smile momentarily faltered by that but it was back again in no time, more wicked than before it that was even possible.

"You're probably right on that account. But that's no excuse for me to stop. After all, I'm having way too much fun to quit just because you can't die" Raven stated amusedly before raising her left arm. Iron Mask suddenly found himself encompassed in dark energy and lifted into the air. The dark energy lifted his arms above his head before the energy pulled on both his legs and his arms with all the strength Raven was giving. It did not take long for Iron Mask's limbs to be torn from his body. Raven followed up with smashing the body on the throne, shattering his spine, and then formed a black blade and decapitated him. Raven finished it all with neatly placing all the body parts on the throne before calling forth the Nightfire again and setting it ablaze. Iron Mask did not even try to fight back during the whole ordeal. At first Raven just stood there, seemingly basking in the unholy flames she had conjured up. But suddenly she started to make some rasping sounds that kept getting louder. It soon turned into what sounded like a chuckle that caused Raven's whole body to tremble. Finally she threw her head back and let out a maniacal laugh. In all her years of living, Raven had never felt so much alive as she did now. She felt stronger than ever before, not just physically but also mentally. The few wounds she had sustained had already healed up perfectly without Raven even realizing it. Finally her laughter died down and she once again observed the ashes that used to be Iron Mask. This power she had been given was simply amazing.

"_**And this is but an appetizer compared to all that I can give you" **_Mal'Bolough tantalizingly said. This caused Raven's grin to grow even wider as the implication sunk in. If this was but a fraction what she could be given, she could only imagine what else she would soon have.

"Mal'Bolough, where have you been my whole life?" Raven asked amusedly, causing Mal'Bolough to laugh. But even now, with this power at her fingertips, there was still one small part of Raven that was horrified with this. It wanted Raven to stop, to give up this power since it could feel the darkness and corruption surrounding it. That part might as well have been speaking in Japanese since it had no effect whatsoever. Raven was enjoying this far too much to simply quit. This power was all hers now, and there was no way in hell she was going to ever let go of it. With that short inner debate solved, Raven cracked her knuckles as she remembered there was one unfinished business left. Iron Mask had been kind enough to reveal who his boss was, so now it was time to pay Alexander Cole a little visit. So with her goal set up, Raven turned her back on the throne and confidently walked towards the vortex that was still open. But she halted herself when she was about to step through it. It felt as if she had forgotten something important, something that was connected with her reason for coming here in the first place. Raven thought hard, trying to recall exactly what it was.

"Damn, what was it? If only I could ask Robin, or maybe Cyborg or Starfi…" Raven mused out loud, but stopped when she mentioned the last name. Now she remembered, Starfire had been kidnapped and Iron Mask had demanded the crystal in exchange for Starfire's life. Raven turned around again to observe Iron Mask's ashes. He had said that Alexander was the one who wanted the crystal. But by judging what had transpired here, it appeared to Raven that the good old French mercenary who was supposed to collect it had harbored agendas of his own. Raven narrowed her eyes in suspicion.

"Just what are you trying to accomplish with this, you old geezer?" she asked in suspicion. She received no reply. But as she observed Iron Mask's ashes, Raven felt the tiniest fraction of sympathy. It was unfortunate that they ended up on different sides in this battle. In essence, Iron Mask was probably the only one in this world who knew what it was like to be born from a daemon. Raven suddenly shook her head, she was getting sidetracked here and getting way too strange thoughts in her head. There was still the matter of Alexander and Starfire to deal with. Raven gritted her teeth in frustration, here she had a golden opportunity to end this all with a quick strike against Alexander but that idiot Starfire just had to ruin it all with her incompetence. Taking a few deep breaths, Raven tried to think of a way to overcome this. That was when she realized that she could send the rest of the Titans to save Starfire while she herself dealt with Alexander. That only left the problem of how to contact them, she had left her communicator at Titans Tower. Mal'Bolough solved that problem by feeding Raven with knowledge on how to increase her own telekinetic powers to send a message to the Titans.

"Yes, that will work" Raven said to herself in satisfaction. Finally confident that she had solved all the problems, Raven stepped through the vortex. Her departure observed by a single crow.

…..

Standing in front of the computer in the tower's living room, Robin had only one thought in his head; where the hell was Raven? There was less than twenty minutes left until the exchange and she had just disappeared. Beast boy had found her communicator abandoned in the training room and her locator beacon had been turned off. Robin was deeply worried, if this exchange was not completed then Starfire was done for and that was not something he could accept. The doors suddenly opened and Cyborg and Beast boy came in. Robin instantly turned to them.

"Did you guys find her?" he asked hopefully, but the downcast looks he received dashed his hopes. But even if he did not need to, Cyborg still answered.

"We've searched every part of Titans Tower, from top to bottom, and we didn't find anything" he said. Robin sighed deeply and was about to turn back to the computer when suddenly a massive pain erupted in his head. He clutched his head and cried out in surprise and pain, his cries mixing with Cyborg's and Beast boy's own. The pain was soon followed by a sense of being crushed by a deep darkness as Robin's vision grew dark and he was forced down on his knees.

"_Robin, can you hear me?" _Raven's voice suddenly said in his head.

"_Raven, is that you?" _Robin managed to form in his mind since the pain made it difficult to focus.

"_No time for pleasantries. Starfire is being held apartment number 16 on Sickery Street and I need you to go and save her" _Raven responded. Robin was beyond confused now; first Raven disappears without any reason and now she shows up to give orders.

"_Hang on a second here. Just what exactly is going on and where the hell are…" _Robin began to object but was silenced by a sudden increase in pressure on him, causing Robin to nearly collapse entirely on the floor. He could also hear Raven growl irritably at him.

"_Just shut up and do it!" _she snarled at him. Robin was taken completely aback by Raven's sudden anger towards him. But considering that she knew where Starfire was he was going to let it slide… for now.

"_Alright, but where will you go?" _Robin asked. Raven was first silent and Robin thought that she was not going to answer.

"_To finish this once and for all" _Raven finally replied in a dark and threatening tone. With that, Raven's presence withdrew and the Titans were able to get back up on their feet, though with some difficulty at first. With a quick glance at his friends, Robin knew that they too had heard what Raven had said; their wide eyed looks speaking more than mere words could. For a while no one said anything. Finally Robin broke the silence.

"Titans, go!" was all he said, as that was all that needed to be said as the all sprang into action.

...

For how long she had been in this place now, Starfire had absolutely no idea. There was no visible clock anywhere in the room and her jailor refused to even acknowledge her presence as he just kept reading that damn newspaper of his. Starfire had already tried several times to initiate a conversation with the Hunter, if nothing else then to pass the time. But he ignored every question and statement from Starfire, seemingly pretending that she did not even exist. Eventually she gave up and settled to wait and see what would happen. But as the two sat there in silence the sound of running feet could be heard outside, growing louder with each passing second. The Hunter also registered the sound as he folded his newspaper and stood up from his chair to face the door. Mere seconds later the door flew open and two armed thugs rushed in.

"Boss, we got word that the Titans are coming straight for us! The big guy wants us to waste the chick before they get here" one of them nearly shouted, but what he had said at the end caused Starfire's heart to skip a beat. The Hunter nodded his head while gesturing to the two thugs to do it. The two thugs moved forward, as the Hunter stepped back, while turning the safeties on their guns off. They raised their guns and took aim on the defenseless Starfire. Fear pumped through Starfire as she stared down the barrels of her executioner's weapons. She closed her eyes as she tensed up for the inevitable bullets that would soon come. She flinched when she finally heard two bangs echo in rapid succession in the small room. It took a moment for Starfire to register the fact that she was still alive and there was no pain. Slowly, Starfire cracked one eyelid open to see what had happened. What she saw was the Hunter standing calmly with a smoking gun in his hand, but the two thugs were not there anymore. Starfire opened her eyes fully and glanced around in confusion. She did not have to search for them very long as they lay on the floor in pools of their own blood. Biting back a scream of terror, Starfire turned her wide eyes back to the Hunter. She wanted to ask him "why?" but her voice had seemingly fled at the sight of the two dead men as her mouth opened but no sound emerged.

"My goal is to hunt down all of you Titans, and I was not about to be cheated of my price by a pair of lowlife mercs. And killing you right now, when you're completely defenseless, would be highly unsporting of me" the Hunter calmly stated to the shell-shocked Starfire. In response, Starfire's earlier terror was washed away by a deep sense of disgust and hatred towards the Hunter.

"Cheated? Unsporting? How can you talk like that? Is this all a game to you?" Starfire furiously demanded from the Hunter, who was standing at the door now. He was about to walk away, but he momentarily turned his head slightly to give his answer.

"Yes, it is" he stated in a bored tone before exiting and closing the door behind him. however, he did not bother locking it this time. Starfire was left alone in the darkness for god knows how long until she heard the sound of running feet again. This time it sounded like there were several people coming, and one of them seemed to be very heavy. She could hear muffled conversations between them.

"Dude, we've searched hundreds of rooms already. Where the hell is she?" one of them whined in an annoying tone.

"It's only been twenty rooms, and she must be in one of the rooms up ahead" another voice, more mature and deep, answered. But as Starfire listened, she had the strong feeling that those voices sounded very familiar to her.

"Focus you two, we need to find her as soon as possible" a third voice said, caring the authority from someone who has become used to take charge and give orders. It was only when that voice had spoken that Starfire finally recognized who the voices belonged to.

"Robin, are you there?" Starfire called out in desperate hope. There were a few moments of silence after that before a response came.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out in equal amount of desperation and hope. It did not take long after that for the door into the room she was held in to be forcibly kicked in even though it was unlocked and unguarded. Robin was instantly inside the room, his boo staff extended. He quickly spotted the two dead mercenaries on the floor, but he dismissed them at the sight of the restrained Starfire. Robin rushed forward and began working on releasing her.

"Starfire, are you okay?" he asked just as Beast boy and Cyborg entered the room, both of them slightly paling at the sight of the two dead men. Even though the Teen Titans had fought opponents that had been trying to kill them, they had never actually experienced this level of brutality. Needless to say, they really hoped that they would never have to again.

"I am now" she answered once Robin had removed the shackles binding her to the chair. When that was done, Robin directed his attention back to the two corpses lying on the floor. His face showed the deep disgust he felt for this. He might be uncomfortable with this, but he was no stranger to extreme violence. He was from Gotham after all, and one does not grow up in that city without having a taste of the violence that swelled in the city. The same kind that created both Batman and Robin.

"Who did this?" he asked harshly.

"The Hunter" Starfire answered quietly. If Robin's anger over the two dead men, even though they were the enemy, was great, it was nothing compared to the surprise he felt when he heard those news. Weren't the Hunter and those mercenaries on the same side? It was eventually Beast boy who voiced the question that was on the boys mind.

"Hey, why would he kill his own lackeys?" he asked. Starfire of course knew, but before she could answer him Robin spoke out.

"We can speculate about that later. Right now we need to round up any mercenaries that might still linger in the area" he ordered, gaining nods from Beast boy and Cyborg. Finally it seemed as if Starfire had noticed that something was missing as she glanced around the room before directing her gaze to Robin.

"Where's Raven?" she asked him. The uneasy glances she received in response did not reassure her one bit. Something told her that whatever was going on, it would not end in a good way.

…..

At the office building of Cole Industries, things were relatively calm. Alexander Cole had for unknown reasons given most of the staff a day off, only keeping the security guards at their posts. The staff could not figure out on their lives why Alexander would do this, but they were not about to look a gift horse in the mouth and were more than happy to take the day off. The day was so calm that the six guards in the lobby had nearly fallen asleep from boredom. They had all located either a chair or a sofa to relax in. One of them had even taken up the place where the receptionist would sit, to the right of the entrance, with his feet slung up on the desk and a comic book in his hands. None of the guards expected much to happen today. It was then that the one reading the comic book noticed that someone had entered the building. That puzzled him as the doors were all locked as per instruction from Alexander. The mysterious figure was wearing a blue cloak and had a hood up, concealing all of his features. The rest of the guards had also noticed the intruder by now and it did not take long for one of them to identify the intruder.

"Hey wait a minute. That's Raven of the Teen Titans!" a brown haired guard exclaimed.

"You sure about that?" another guard with a cap cautiously asked while reaching for his gun.

"Yeah, I'm sure" the guard from before answered. Raven did not even pay any attention to the guards as she nonchalantly walked right past the reception. That got the guard behind it moving as he shot straight up from his chair with his hand threateningly posed over his gun.

"Hold it right there, miss. I don't care if you're Raven or not, you can't just waltz in here. So I'm gonna ask you to leave the building immediately" he stated in an authoritarian voice, the kind that every law enforcer uses when confronting bad guys. Raven actually stopped from that, but instead of walking out as the guards had expected she slowly turned around to glare with a single eye at the guard. Said guard felt his breath get lodged and burned into his throat as he found that the eye glaring at him was glowing hellish red that caused every single hair on him to stand on end.

"Get lost" Raven sneered at him. That got the guard moving as he stumbled back in terror and tripped over the chair he had been sitting in. By now, the rest of the guards had formed a semicircle against Raven with the guard wearing the cap in the middle. He had his gun out but was so far just pointing it at the ground.

"Last warning, girl. Either turn back now or we'll…" he began but did not get the chance to finish as Raven appeared right in front of him in a heartbeat. Her right eye kept him paralyzed in fear as she reached out and gently placed a hand on his chest and without warning unleashed a blast of dark energy straight into him. The guard was sent flying into a wall before sliding down to the floor, unconscious before he even hit the ground. The guard to Raven's left tried to back up while drawing his own gun but Raven formed a whip of black energy in her left hand. She lashed out with it towards the guard, the whip coiling around his right arm before she gave a hard yank. The force behind it was enough to dislodge the arm from its socket while sending the guard flying past Raven to crash into the guard standing to Raven's right. The last two guards quickly put some distance between themselves and Raven. The one to the right had gotten his gun out and was about to open fire on Raven but without warning his own shadow rose up from the ground. It grabbed hold of his right arm and twisted it behind his back. The guard had time to give one shout of pain before the shadow struck him hard in the back of his head, knocking him out. The last guard figured that he had no chance as he got behind a pillar while fumbling to get his walkie-talkie out.

"Back-up, we need back-up down here now!" he frantically called into his walkie-talkie, but that was all he had time to say before dark tendrils suddenly snaked around his body and bound him to the pillar. Raven then appeared to his left side. She glared coldly at him, causing him to whimper in fear. A final dark tendril appeared and snared itself around the guard's throat, cutting off his air supply. He began making choking noises while Raven just stared impassively at him. But just as it seemed like Raven was going to choke him to death, a small flicker of sympathy passed through Raven's eyes and she dissolved the tendril grasping his throat. The guard greedily sucked in air as Raven reverted back to the cold persona she had before.

"Be thankful that I don't have the time to deal with you" Raven stated before dissolving all the other tendrils holding him. The guard instantly collapsed to his knees while Raven began walking away. The guard suddenly called out to her before she was out of earshot.

"What the hell happened to you? Aren't you supposed to be one of the good guys?" he asked, his voice rasped from the choking. Raven stopped but did not turn around to face him.

"I still am, just not the soft kind anymore" she answered before enveloping herself in dark energy and transformed into a large raven. She then flew right through the ceiling as if it was air, to enter the second floor. Once there she turned back into her human form. As she looked around, Raven found that she had entered a hall with pillars flanking on both sides. At the end of the hall were an elevator and two staircases, as well as a whole bunch of armed security guards in a firing line.

"Freeze!" one of them called out. Raven smiled at the guard's idiotic request. But she also found this a perfect opportunity to test out a new technique she had learned on her way here.

"May no light pierce the heavens to shine hope down upon the world. May darkness claim all and drown the world in sorrow and despair. May the power of light flee in terror from the power of darkness" Raven chanted. The darkness in the hall deepened in response, the light began to flicker and slowly die out, wailings began to echo from the dark corners and the shadows began to twist and turn on their own accord, some of them even began stretching out towards the guards. Raven's right eye also began glowing stronger, blinding anyone who stared too long into its crimson illumination. The guards were nervously fidgeting their weapons while casting fearful glances around the hall, their minds unable to comprehend what devilry it was that was being unleashed. Many even began to back away in fear.

"Infinite Darkness" Raven finished and like a hound released from a leash, the darkness surged forward like a black tidal wave with a roar of triumph. Screams of terror and barks of gunfire quickly followed.

...

Reports of the intruder came in from every part of the building and Alexander was finding it hard to decipher which report he should pay attention to and which he should ignore. He had to hand it to Raven, the girl sure knew how to create chaos. No doubt she was using some kind of illusion to trick the simple minded guards into believing they were under a full scale attack by multiple hostiles. Still, this turn of events did not bode well for Alexander. He had dismissed all the employees in the building so that Iron Mask could personally deliver the crystal to him without having to worry about unnecessary witnesses. It was obvious now that that incompetent French nutcase had failed. Not only that, but he had received no report from the Hunter on the status of their prisoner. Alexander had to assume that he too had been beaten. But those things were of no concern to him, what really concerned him was Raven. Judging from the insane amount of dark energy that was running amok in the building, there was no doubt that the girl was somehow using the crystal's power. How in the world a little girl like her was able to do so was beyond his imagination, but the terrifying part of this whole ordeal was the fact that Alexander knew about the corrupting influence the crystal's power could have on the unprepared. It was likely that Raven would not follow the usual procedures that the Teen Titans usually did. The fact that Raven dared to attack him in the open and in broad daylight was proof enough that she was not playing by the rules anymore. Further concerns were pushed aside as Lucifer entered Alexander's office.

"Please tell me that you have good news for me" Alexander almost pleaded to his assistant. For once, he did not wear his trademark smile but instead looked very serious.

"That depends on your point of view, sir. I have established Raven's position in the building, but she seems to be heading straight for us" Lucifer explained, causing Alexander to groan while muttering something that sounded like "figures" under his breath.

"Very well. Divert every single guard we have available towards her, and set up barricades in every corridor on this floor. If we're lucky we may be able to bog her down" Alexander ordered tiredly to his subordinate. Lucifer snorted in response.

"With all due respect, sir. With the level of power Raven now has, these defenses will be nothing more than speed bumps to her" he said disdainfully.

…..

"RUN FOR IT!" a guard screamed in absolute terror while bolting down the corridor as fast as his legs could carry him. Behind him came four other guards, all equally terrified of what was following them. Further down the corridor, from where the guards had been running from, darkness reigned. There was not a shred of light coming from that direction, only pitch black darkness. But what really had the guards running for their lives was the fact that the darkness were in fact slowly creeping forward. Black tendrils stretched out like bony finger, seeking out any source of light in their way and smothered it. Behind the tendrils a wall of pure darkness slowly advanced, swallowing up everything that got in its path. One guard momentarily turned to fire a sporadic burst of bullets into the darkness, hoping to hit whatever it was that dwelled within it. But that moment proved to be his undoing as the dark tendrils surged forward and latched onto his limbs. With a scream of utter terror, the guard was dragged into the dark depths. His comrades did not even stop to see what had happened, knowing fully well what would happen if they even slowed down. Inside the advancing darkness, one single being was unaffected by its dark power. Raven calmly strode through the darkness without a second thought to the chaos and madness occurring around her, though she could not help but feel amused by how the guards kept running away in fear. Still, this was hardly the challenge that Raven had hoped for. She had hoped to face strong-willed soldiers who could put up a fight, not these spineless cowards who just ran away like frightened rabbits.

"This is going easier than I ever imagined" she said in a bored tone just as she walked past the terror stricken guard the darkness had dragged in earlier, scared out of his mind but still alive and well. Despite what the guards may have thought, Raven did not kill any of them she battled. Instead she simply incapacitated them, though some of those guards may have wished that she had just simply killed them and been done with it. But in some way she was pleased with her work here. The Infinite Darkness worked even better than she could have hoped. All that was left for her was to perfect her control over it so that she would not need to use the chant in any future engagement.

"_**Yes, I agree. But be on your guard. I sense a strong concentration of dark magic up ahead" **_Mal'Bolough said in what could be described as a concerned tone. Another guard tried to foolishly stop Raven. He met a similar fate as his comrade before him.

"How strong exactly?" Raven asked as she knocked out another guard with a well-aimed vase to his head without even bothering to look his way.

"_**Strong enough that I can't get a clear reading on it. Somehow they are blocking my senses. Whoever it is, be careful when you face him" **_Mal'Bolough stated just as they reached a reception area where a group of guards had set up a makeshift barricade made up of boxes and furniture. Raven tightened her right hand into a fist before she thrust it forward. A massive fist made up of black energy shot forward in response with the speed of a bullet and smashed the barricade to pieces, sending debris and stunned guards flying this way and that.

"Don't worry about me" Raven finally answered Mal'Bolough. With the obstacle gone, Raven calmly strode onwards. As she neared her goal, Raven felt a rush of excitement in her. If whatever it was that lay before them was enough to worry Mal'Bolough, then it would truly be an opportune moment to push her new powers to their limits.

"Ready or not, Alexander, here I come" she sing-songed while a sadistic smile formed on her lips and her right eye began to glow stronger in anticipation.

…..

Alexander sat in his chair, hands knotted together and elbows on his desk to support his head. Beside him stood his assistant Lucifer with his usual smile back on his untrustworthy face. Both of them were awaiting the arrival of Raven, who no doubt was close by. Their suspicion was proven correct when barks of gunfire and screams of terror began outside the door to Alexander's office. Someone outside even began to bang on the door itself, screaming some incoherent words that Alexander did not even bother listen to. Finally the noises subsided until it became deathly quiet on the other side. Both Alexander and Lucifer waited with ever growing trepidation. Lucifer was the first one to notice that for some reason the light was growing fainter. He looked up to the light rod on the ceiling in curiosity. To his surprise, he found that it was still glowing as strong as before, it was as if something was preventing the rays of light from it to reach out to the whole room. Finally Raven emerged, phasing right through the door. Raven glared evilly at Alexander and even though he was blind, the sheer amount of malice pouring out from that single glare was enough to keep him pinned in fear in his seat. Lucifer on the other hand was in no way affected by Raven's glare, though he was a little unnerved by the unnatural glow from her right eye. Instead his entire focus was upon the crystal he saw being embedded in her heart. How in the world she had managed to survive that was beyond him but it certainly complicated how they were going to retrieve it.

"Alexander Cole. So you're the puppeteer who has been pulling the strings all along" Raven stated coldly. In response, Alexander managed to overcome his fear keeping him pinned and managed to address Raven in a calm and confident voice.

"That would be correct, miss. And since you're here, alive and well, I take it that Iron Mask failed in his assignment" Alexander observed, not asked. Raven did not give a reply to that, so Alexander continued.

"I must say that I never expected a Teen Titan to stroll into my office and slaughter every guard along the way" he said. Raven gave a slight twitch at that accusation, an action that did not go unnoticed by Lucifer.

"I didn't kill the guards" Raven revealed to the two of them. That certainly caught both men by surprise, with Lucifer raising an eyebrow while Alexander chose to voice his surprise.

"Is that so? From the sounds I heard earlier, I assumed that the fight had turned into a massacre" he said.

"I only incapacitated them. They'll live to fight another day" Raven responded harshly, growing tired of this useless debate. But there was still one thing she was curious about.

"What I want to know however is why you've been after Mal'Bolough in the first place? Surely you must be smart enough to realize that you would never be able to use him" Raven said. Alexander snorted in response.

"Mal'Bolough? Please, don't tell me you've started to give it a pet name?" he mockingly asked. Raven raised an inquisitive eyebrow in response to his question.

"I have done massive research on that crystal and I have confirmed scientifically that it is a power source, fueled by an unknown energy. All that nonsense of it being some sort of magical creature is just superstitious fairy tales, created by ignorant humans who limit their view of the world with a belief in the supernatural" Alexander explained in a condescending tone. At first, Raven was simply observing Alexander in a calculating way, as if he was a complicated puzzle that needed to be solved. But without warning, Raven suddenly burst out in an insane laughter, nearly doubling over in the process. Alexander stared at Raven as if she had gone mad, which was what he suspected.

"What's so funny?" he eventually angrily asked her. Finally Raven managed to calm down enough to answer him.

"You really are an ignorant fool after all. You're so delusional that I don't even see the point of explaining it to you. It would just be a waste of time and words" Raven answered in a highly amused tone while having a mocking smile on her face. Alexander's face instantly morphed into one of intense anger and loathing.

"But enough with the insults. It's time we finished this now" Raven said as she began to menacingly approach the still seated Alexander. But a sudden spike in dark magic caused Raven to stop just in time to avoid being skewered on a spear made up of purple colored energy. It embedded itself in the ground where she would have stood if she would have taken another step forward. Raven stared for a second at the spear in surprise but suddenly, Lucifer appeared right behind her in a flash of purple light. Raven's eyes went wide in chock when she felt cold steel against her throat. Looking down, she found that Lucifer was holding a cavalry sabre. He leaned forward so that his mouth was right next to her right ear.

"Just what I was thinking, daughter of Trigon" he whispered to her. If Raven was surprised by this sudden display of magic, it was nothing compared to the surprise that this mere human knew who she was. But it was then she noticed something, he did not feel like a human. His essence and his magic felt too dark to be that of a human. Raven turned her head slightly to glare with her right eye at Lucifer.

"What the hell are you?" she asked of him harshly, causing him to smile even wider than he already did.

"Let's take this somewhere a little more private" he said in response. The spear that was still embedded in the ground suddenly melted into purple glowing liquid that flowed around the floor until it had formed a purple glowing pentagram right underneath Raven and Lucifer.

"Lucifer? What the hell is going on here?" Alexander asked, but Lucifer ignored him. The purple light then intensified, growing stronger until it became blinding to watch. And in a sudden blast of purple light that eclipsed all around it, both Raven and Lucifer disappeared.

…..

When Raven opened her eyes again, she was greeted with the sight of what could be described as an insane child's fantasy. She was standing on a field of pink grass with a forest of trees made of bones surrounding it. What was worse was that those bones looked like they had been freshly torn from a body as blood and some small pieces of meat still clung to them. On a massive hill in a distance was a castle that looked like it had come right out of some Disney fairy tale movie, only thing was that the castle was upside down; the whole damn thing was somehow balancing on a single tower in its center. The sky was pitch black with stars dotting it, purple clouds drifted below it and what Raven assumed was the moon was leering down on her with a psychotic grin and massive, bloodshot eyes.

"Okay, I'm definitely not in Kansas anymore" Raven muttered to herself sarcastically as she looked around this screwed up world. Just then, an explosion of purple light appeared near her. Raven instantly gathered her energy in her hands as she waited for what would come. As the explosion cleared away, Lucifer stood there still dressed in the same manner but now carried a purple cane with him. The sabre he had used before was nowhere to be seen.

"Raven, daughter of Trigon. I welcome you to my humble home" he said in a polite tone while giving her a formal bow.


	17. Chapter 17: I'm your Boogeyman

"This is your home?" Raven asked incredulously while glancing around at the place. Lucifer just kept smiling at her.

"Yes. Isn't it a marvelous place, far away from the stench of the mortal world?" he mockingly asked. Raven turned her full glare to him, her right eye glowing stronger as her energy grew stronger. But it was not Lucifer she was staring at, rather his magical essence. What she could immediately see was that the insane amount of dark energy that was pulsing through this… thing was not something a regular human could even survive, let alone thrive on.

"Alright, now you tell me just what in the name of Azar you are exactly" Raven angrily demanded of him. Lucifer chuckled slightly at that.

"So you were able to tell that I was not a human. Very well then, I was getting tired of this form anyway" Lucifer answered. His whole body suddenly began to twitch and shake while the sound of breaking bones could be heard. His body began to grow in length, but also seemed to shrink together so all his limbs became long and bony. His smile grew in size, in fact it grew so wide that the skin on his face became so stretched that it began to split open. His head swelled but his skin did not. Finally the skin could not take the pressure anymore and was ripped apart like a piece of old paper. With the transformation done, no longer stood there a harmless looking businessman with a devious face. Instead there stood a creature that was at least three heads taller than Raven, though still dressed in the same purple suit. Its entire body was thin, thinner than even Raven's, which made her wonder just how it was able to support itself with its bony like limbs and its hands covered by white gloves. Its head was pitch black and had the form of a perfectly round ball. It had a massive grin made out of razor sharp teeth that covered half its face as well as two round eyes that were completely white, without either the iris or the pupil. It reached behind its back and plucked out of seemingly nowhere a top hat and skillfully twirled it around in its hand before planting the hat on its head.

"Well, how do I look?" the creature asked while casually leaning on his cane. Raven stared impassively at him. The creature suddenly looked like something had dawned to him as it slapped its forehead.

"Stupid me, where are my manners? I haven't even introduced me yet, have I?" he asked innocently. Raven answered by simply glaring at him impassively, but it was proving harder and harder. Not because of herself but because of Mal'Bolough, for some undefined reason he was getting more and more riled up over something and his anger was spilling over to Raven. Whatever this creature was, it was something that was greatly agitating Mal'Bolough.

"My true name is something that I will keep to myself, but throughout history I have been given countless names by the humans. Among them, there is one name that I've grown particularly fond of" the creature went on to explain, seemingly lost in his own thoughts as he stared at a point beyond Raven. But he soon returned his focus to her again.

"So allow me to introduce myself by that name; I am the daemon lord known as the Boogeyman" he introduced. Raven scrunched her brows together in doubtfulness, her eyes travelling up and down his appearance in skepticism.

"_You're _the Boogeyman?" Raven asked skeptically. Somehow, she found the idea somewhat strange since this was not how she imagined that the Boogeyman would look like. But she was not about to underestimate him just because of that. The daemonic energy oozing from him was not to be trifled with and he had the home field advantage.

"That's right! If you want further information on me, you can just ask Mal'Bolough. After all, we're old acquaintances" Boogeyman stated humorously. Raven looked down on the crystal embedded in her heart in surprise.

"_**He speaks the truth" **_Mal'Bolough grumbled out. The way he spoke indicated that there was no lost love between the two of them. Raven turned her focus back to the Boogeyman.

"Alright, so what is the meaning of this? Did Alexander hire you too?" Raven asked suspiciously. Personally she found such a notion hard to believe, considering that Alexander was a firm believer in science and denied the existence of the supernatural, plus the fact that no mere human would ever be able to gain the loyalty of a daemon lord regardless of its status. The Boogeyman's grin grew more sinister looking from that question.

"That mortal fool does not even know of my presence in his schemes. You see; Mal'Bolough has developed for himself a really bad reputation among the higher-ups, so they have set a huge bounty on his head. But he has managed to not only elude me, but every other daemon lord that was after him. So when I heard that Alexander had managed to find him again, I snuck into the mortal world and ate his assistant Lucifer. I then took on his form and have been impersonating him ever since, waiting for Mal'Bolough to simply be delivered right to me" the Boogeyman explained in a plotting tone, he even lowered his voice to a whisper for the melodramatic. A long, forked tongue then slithered out of his mouth to lick his teeth.

"And now that you're here, I can finally get rid of you and get a really big reward, maybe even an advancement in rank!" the Boogeyman said in a menacing tone, obviously directed at Mal'Bolough directly rather than at Raven. But then he turned his gaze to Raven's face with an apologetic expression, which Raven could tell was anything but sincere.

"Oh, and nothing personal, Raven. But I'm gonna have to eat you before dealing with that pest" he said with a fake sympathetic smile on his face. Raven instantly went into a fighting stance while dark energy began radiating from her.

"I'd like to see you try" Raven spat at him. The Boogeyman, his sick smile still in place, tapped the ground twice with his cane before casually leaning against it. Raven realized what he had done when she felt something moving underneath her. She bolted up in the air seconds before the ground underneath her exploded in a shower of dirt and grass. Suddenly, a massive tree sprang up from the ground, its hundreds of branches stretching after Raven while a massive mouth on the trunk opened up to let out a moan. Raven wasted no time and called forth the Nightfire and fired off a fist sized orb straight into the tree, it caught fire like dried wood and was soon flailing around in a desperate attempt to extinguish the flames that could never be extinguished. But Raven had no time to celebrate that victory as a stream of purple energy was heading straight towards her. She fired of a concentrated beam of dark energy from the palm of her right hand to counter but the moment the beams would connect, the purple one split off onto five separate beams that all bypassed the black one and headed towards Raven.

"Nice little trick, don't you agree?" the Boogeyman called out to her from where he was standing with his cane pointed towards Raven, the purple beam originating from its tip. Raven had no time to answer as she dropped in altitude to barely avoid the first beam, blocked the second one with a barrier, teleported to avoid the third and formed a blade of dark energy in her hand to slice apart the fourth. But she had no time to stop the fifth as it came up from behind and went cleanly through her right shoulder.

"Forgive me, I meant for that to pierce your heart. I always had a poor aim" the Boogeyman offered as an excuse. Biting back the pain, Raven channeled her power into the wound and shattered the part of the beam still in it. Thankfully for Raven, that purple beam had cauterized her wound to the point that it did not bleed. Now tired of being on the defense, Raven formed a massive raven out of dark energy. It gave a screech before diving towards the Boogeyman. He just kept smiling sinisterly as he fired off several blasts of purple energy towards the raven, all of which were easily evaded by the nimble raven. It came at him at inhuman speed, talons poised to slice him apart and beak ready to skewer him. But just when it was about to make contact, time itself seemed to stop as the raven froze in the air. But it did not hinder the Boogeyman as he lifted his cane and lightly tapped its tip on the raven's forehead. The raven instantly shattered like glass. From where she was floating in the air, Raven could only stare in disbelief at what she had just seen.

"What the hell did you just do?" she asked. The Boogeyman answered by opening his mouth wide open, in fact it open so wide that it became larger than the head it belonged to. Thousands of arms with white gloved hands came out of that gaping maw. They moved so fast that Raven barely had time react before they grabbed hold of her. She tried to fight back but the arms were too many and too strong and soon there was barely anything you could see of Raven as she was covered by the arms and hands. With their prey caught, they began to haul her in towards the waiting maw of the Boogeyman. Raven stared in some amount of fear at the massive mouth that was waiting to swallow her up. But despite the imminent danger, Raven did not react.

"_**Don't tell me you're planning on ending your days as someone's lunch now?" **_Mal'Bolough asked sarcastically, but Raven still refused to do anything. Finally she was brought inside the mouth and the Boogeyman began closing it, already savoring the taste of Raven. That was when she struck. In a move that some might call suicidal, she ignited the Nightfire inside the Boogeyman's mouth; with her still inside. The Boogeyman began to cough and wheeze as the flames began consuming him from the inside out. No longer capable of safely swallowing his catch, he spat out Raven from his mouth. The Nightfire was also burning on her but she was still wrapped up in those arms so she was protected. She simply waited for the flames to consume her bindings before dispelling them. Raven was quick to get back up on her feet in case the Boogeyman tried some trick. But as it turned out he was currently no threat as he was flailing around with his arms wildly as smoke leaked out of his mouth. Raven observed what she believed to be her opponents last moments with no small amount of sinister joy, but then he made something that Raven had never predicted; he spat out the flames. He simply cleared his throat as if some mucus had gathered in his throat and spat out the Nightfire. He then turned his eyes to Raven again.

"Nice trick. I must admit that I never saw it coming" the Boogeyman said amusedly, uncaring for the fact that just seconds earlier he was on the verge of being incinerated. Raven just stared at him, eyes wide as saucers. There was just one thing after the other with this guy.

"But I think it's time we got this party really going. And for that we need more playmates!" the Boogeyman suddenly exclaimed while throwing his arms wide out. He brought his right hand to his mouth and placing two fingers in it, he gave a loud whistle. At first Raven was confused what he was doing, but when she remembered that he had said "we need more playmates" she instantly was on high alert. Her powers were working overtime in scanning the surrounding area for any living creatures. She soon detected several of them approaching from the right. Raven cautiously glanced sideways, though still careful to keep the Boogeyman in her line of sight. Childish giggles were the first thing that she heard from these approaching creatures. Needless to say, she was confused by that sound. Her confusion turned to something between shock and surprise when she saw dozens of children strolling out of the forest, either giggling or singing some silly rhyme. They were all dressed in Halloween costumes and none of them looked older than ten. They happily strolled over, or in some cases danced, to the Boogeyman who had his arms spread in a welcoming gesture. Raven was left speechless as she watched the children begin to dance around the Boogeyman as if he was some dear friend of theirs.

"Uncle Boogey! You want to play with us?!" they all shouted enthusiastically in perfect synchrony. Raven was flabbergasted over these children's behavior, but she could not shake off the feeling that something was seriously wrong with those kids, on more levels than one. Despite their appearances, Raven had a strong feeling that those kids were anything but kids. The Boogeyman laughed warmly to the kids, like a kind grandfather who was begged to tell the same story he had told dozens of times before.

"Sorry kids, not at the moment. But why don't you go and play with our guest here?" he encouraged them. They all turned towards Raven with huge smiles on their faces, and her earlier assumption that they were not human was confirmed when she saw their yellow glowing eyes and razor sharp teeth. Without warning, one of them, dressed as Batman, launched himself forward at blinding speed, mouth wide open to take a bite out of Raven. But Raven was faster as when he got close enough, she sent a blast of dark energy into him at point-blank range. He was sent flying back just as the others made their move. They quickly moved to surround Raven, hoping to use their superior numbers to attack her from different directions. But Raven was not about to be caught so easily as she teleported in a burst of black smoke straight in front of a little girl dressed as a fairy. She managed to give one inhuman snarl at Raven before a black talon seized her and hoisted her into the air. Three other kids came at her after that, one from either side and one from the rear. Raven formed a black barrier behind herself which the kid did not see in time to stop and ran headfirst into it. She then formed a black whip in her left hand which she struck out towards the one on the left. It snared itself around his throat and the whip then lifted the kid up in the air before smashing him into the ground hard. Raven followed up with a beam of dark energy directed towards the third kid but he did not try to evade it, instead he just opened his mouth wide as if to swallow the beam. To Raven's great shock, that was exactly what the kid did. The damn thing swallowed and ate her energy beam like it was some delicious candy. He was not the only one as the one Raven had stopped with a barrier was currently eating up said barrier. It did not take long for Raven to figure out what her new opponents were and she turned to the Boogeyman to address that discovery.

"I did not anticipate that a daemon lord, who specializes in magic no less, would ever dare use Magic Eaters, regardless of their young age" she remarked dryly. He just shrugged innocently.

"Well, you know kids. With the right amount of candy, you can get them to do whatever you want" the Boogeyman responded humorously, never once faltering with that twisted smile of his. Raven was about to retort but was instead forced to teleport away as four kids tried to tackle her to the ground. The moment she reappeared, another one dressed as a witch came at her from the front, mouth wide open and nails growing to dagger-like claws. Not bothering with either finesse or mercy, Raven ducked underneath the kid as she jumped for her and formed black blades on each of her fingers and rammed them straight into the kid's gut. She quickly followed up with a second blade through the heart. The kid had time to give one anguished scream that would put any banshee to shame before the flesh on her body rotted away until all that was left was her bones. Raven discarded those without a second thought. Two others came at her again and Raven launched two black beams from her hands that took the shape of two snakes. Instead of hitting their targets head on, they coiled around their bodies to immobilize them while the heads went for their vulnerable necks. Both kids tried to eat the black energy restraining them, but the first one was not fast enough as the snake head latched onto the neck and with a violent snap broke it like a twig. The second one however had more luck as he had help from a second kid and together they quickly devoured Raven's dark energy. She was already working on calling forth the Nightfire to burn those two to ashes, but a sudden pain in her left thigh stopped her. Another kid, this one dressed as a skeleton, had snuck up on her and was trying to take a huge chunk of her thigh. Roaring in pain, Raven formed hundreds of black blades and turned the offending kid into a proverbial pin cushion. As soon as the flesh had rotten away, Raven brought a power enhanced fist into the skull still locked onto her thigh and shattered it. She then collapsed to her knee from the pain and immediately began working on healing the wound, all the while keeping a watchful eye out for another attack. Strangely the children kept their distance from her, but they looked more like raving dogs being restrained by a leash. It did not take a genius to figure out why they would restrain from attacking and Raven turned a questioning gaze towards the Boogeyman.

"I prefer to finish off my opponent myself" he said in answer to her unspoken question. He thrust his cane forward and sent a bolt of purple energy straight towards her. It scorched the ground and sent dirt flying everywhere when it hit, but Raven was not standing there anymore. She had teleported behind the Boogeyman seconds before the bolt impacted, so no one had seen whether she had escaped or been hit. Not about to waste this opportune moment, Raven launched several dark tendrils from the Boogeyman's own shadow and bound him tightly. A part of her asked why she had not just simply used the tendrils to impale him instead, but she ignored it for the moment. She stretched her right hand towards the Boogeyman. Dark energy soon gathered in her hand, growing stronger with every passing moment. The light around Raven grew dimmer and dimmer as Raven kept on powering up her attack. In the end, the only source of illumination around Raven was her right eye, whose infernal light bathed her outstretched arm with its growing intensity.

"You're finished" Raven snarled before unleashing her attack. There were no sounds of discharge when the attack was unleashed and it made no noise as it closed in on the Boogeyman in the form of a ball of pure and concentrated darkness. It advanced like a silent promise of a slow death in darkness, where no one would see or hear you. Up until that point, the Boogeyman had not even tried to break free from his restraints. He was content to silently wait where he was to see what trick Raven would pull out from her sleeve. Now when she had done just that, the Boogeyman took a single second to analyze this new attack, which he could do despite his back being turned to it. To any normal person, a second would hardly be qualified as enough time to analyze an attack, but to a daemon lord it was more than enough. He had to admit, this attack was strong. Strong enough not to feel like testing his luck in standing in its way. So with a snap of his fingers, the tendrils binding him dissolved and he disappeared in a flash of purple energy. Raven's attack kept on going, hitting one of the magic eating children instead. Instantly the darkness expanded with the speed of light, swallowing everything around it and creating a dark parody of a supernova as its dark energy eclipsed every single light. For several heartbeats, the whole world had seemingly been plunged into eternal darkness and silence. But eventually the magic wore off and the light could once again illuminate the landscape, though Raven could not help but think that the eternal darkness was more appealing than how this twisted world looked like. No sooner had the darkness faded away before Raven felt an intense pain flare through her entire body. Out of reflexes she tried to scream in pain and twist away but neither happened, she remained standing where she was. Her face contorted into one of unbearable pain, her entire body felt like it was burned, broken, stabbed, melted and dissected at the same time. And there were two things that made it all worse; she could not move a single muscle no matter how hard she tried and the pain did not dim for even a second.

"I must congratulate you, never in my life have I seen a power of such pure and untainted darkness before. But sadly, you lack experience in this field, and that is what led to your downfall" the Boogeyman explained to her from behind, sounding like a teacher correcting a student. Raven could not turn around to face him, but she could sense where he was standing. Not that it made any difference, she could still not move to attack and the pain was still burning through her. The pain, that was all she could feel in every part of her body. Raven had to struggle not to lose focus of her surroundings as the pain ravaged her body.

"No doubt you're wondering why you can't move and why you're in such pain, am I right?" the Boogeyman asked rhetorically. Raven remained silent for obvious reasons.

"It's a specialty of mine. If you were able to look over your shoulder, you'd see a purple tendril being attached to your back. It has linked itself to your nerve system and is blocking every signal your brain is trying to send to your body to move. You could say that it has separated your conscience from your body. But at the same time it is playing tricks on your nerve threads, making them believe that your body is suffering from every wound or damage you can imagine. I've never experienced it myself, but I can only imagine the excruciating pain you must be in now" The Boogeyman explained casually, while throwing in a fake sympathetic tone in the end. If Raven had been able to turn around now, she would have given him a glare that would have caused a heart attack on a normal human. She felt him walk closer to her until he stood right behind. She gave a mental twitch when he placed a hand on her right shoulder. Seriously, what was it with bad guys these days that they always needed to make physical contact with her?

"But don't worry. Your pain will soon end, along with your life" he added sinisterly. Raven could not help but feel a twinge of fear, knowing exactly how she would die. But instead of denying that fear, she seized it and let it fuel her resolve. Her fear gave birth to her anger which Raven embraced wholeheartedly. Calling upon every negative emotion she had worked to suppress her entire life, Raven let them reign unhindered for the first time. She focused all her hate towards the Boogeyman, working up the strength to shatter the hold he had on her. With sheer hate and willpower she managed to suppress the pain in her body. Raven pumped every last bit of strength into making her body move. She was rewarded with a few twitches in her fingers and so she struggled even harder. Raven could feel the Boogeyman lean closer to her.

"Don't. Even. Think. About. It" Raven managed to snarl out in utter contempt, causing the Boogeyman to stop in surprise. Raven clenched her right fist before opening it again, causing a surge of dark energy to expand from herself. The attack caught the Boogeyman by surprise, obviously not expecting his meal to be able to put up any more of a fight, and he was pushed back. Raven swirled around and with an almost bestial roar unleashed a massive beam of dark energy. The front of it took the shape of a dragon's head and swirled around the Boogeyman until he was surrounded. The dragon rose up in the air above its prey before it gave a roar with the force of a thunderstorm, shaking the very ground. Finally, it dived for its target and its massive jaws closed around the still stunned Boogeyman. With her foe defeated, Raven let out a breath she was not aware that she had been holding in the first place. But that small victory did not last as the dragon head exploded from the inside by an intense blast of purple energy and standing there, with a smug smile on his face, was the Boogeyman. Raven gaped at how he had destroyed her attack that easily.

"Mal'Bolough. What the hell have you dragged me into?" Raven silently whined. Mal'Bolough never answered that question.

"You're gonna have to do better than that if you want to beat me" the Boogeyman stated, with plain amusement in his voice. It was obvious that he did not expect Raven to defeat him. But he had to admit, that attack came bloody close to ending him. Had he not been a daemon lord, he would no doubt have been through already. He pointed his cane towards Raven and fired off a bolt of purple energy from its tip. Before it made contact, Raven teleported away. The Boogeyman was instantly on alert and scanned his surroundings for her. It took him a few moments to realize that she was no longer there. He instantly calmed down and straightened out his suit which had gotten a little wrinkled in the fight, showing no concern over the fact that just a while ago he had been in a life or death battle. Though silently he was thankful that Raven had retreated. He did not like to admit it, but Raven had pushed him to his limits and he was uncertain if he could have continued the battle. Without even looking, he extended his arm to seize one of the children that was standing closest to him. He then hauled the kid to him and before it could even react, the Boogeyman swallowed it whole. He gave a contented sigh as his magical energy was replenished. It was not by much, but it would hopefully be enough for the moment. With his meal done, the Boogeyman looked at the sky in curiosity.

"Where did you run off to, little girl?" he asked no one in particular as he walked away.

…..

As soon as the Titans returned to the tower, Robin was instantly in front of the computer looking for where Raven had disappeared to. That was proving quite a challenge since her locator was still offline and she had not been very explicit when she had said "to finish this once and for all" on the question on where she would be going. The rest of the team were anxiously waiting for any news as they sat in the kitchen, none of them feeling like going off and finding something to pass the time with. Without warning, the alarm started blaring off and the Titans were instantly crowding behind Robin as his fingers flew over the keyboard.

"There's something going on at Cole Industries. Security is reporting that someone has broken into the building" he said. Cyborg leaned closer.

"Do they know who exactly?" he asked. Robin shook his head while answering.

"No. Half of the guards in there don't even know where the intruder is and the other half don't respond to communications" Robin said. He then turned around to dace his team.

"We can't just ignore this attack. We have to help" he declared to them. Beast boy spoke up next.

"What about Raven?" he asked.

"We'll look for her later. Right now we need to head over to Cole Industries" Robin stated, leaving no room to argument. Beast boy nodded his head as they all headed out. But Robin himself was uneasy. As a crime fighter and detective he had learned to trust his gut feelings, and right now they were telling him that it was no mere coincidence that Raven dropped off the radar right before this attack. But if his gut feelings were correct, that would mean that Raven was involved in this. So for once in his life, he prayed that they were wrong.

...

The moment Raven rematerialized from her teleportation, she collapsed to her knees in exhaustion. Raven mentally scolded herself as she finally took time to analyze the battle she had been in. She had told herself that she should not underestimate her opponent, but obviously that was exactly what she had done. Raven had thought that the Boogeyman was someone who relied on lackeys to hide behind and attack you from behind. It was obvious now that he was no pushover. That last attack had been Raven's so far strongest, charged to the brim with all the dark energy Raven could muster and unleashed with the singular goal of total annihilation of her opponent. But not only had the Boogeyman survived, he had shattered it like porcelain. It was painfully obvious that with her current level of power, she stood no chance against him in a head-on battle. Maybe if she drew upon all of Mal'bolough's power she could defeat him.

"_**I would strongly advice against that, Raven" **_Mal'Bolough suddenly said. Raven raised an eyebrow in surprise.

"_And why is that?"_ she curiously asked him.

"_**Because your body is not yet ready for it. You may be able to use far greater amounts of my power right of the bat than anyone else ever have, but your human body is still not strong enough to be exposed to all of my power at once. Worst case scenario, your body would be torn up from the inside out by the sheer stress my power would place in your body. You'll need to train to be able to call upon my full power" **_he explained to her seriously, making it clear to her that she was not ready yet. Raven just grumbled out some inaudible words as she channeled Mal'Bolough's power through her body, instantly healing her sore and battered body. She let out a content sigh as the rejuvenating energy flowed through her, it was like sweet nectar to her. She then got back up on her feet as she surveyed her new surroundings, and she was already missing the old sights. Raven was currently standing at the entrance of an abandoned circus and it seemed to have been abandoned for quite some time now if you were to go by the bleached tents and rotting woodwork. But Raven somehow got the feeling that it was not as abandoned as it appeared to be. In fact, she could feel some serious dark magic oozing from within the circus. Whatever the place was, Raven decided it was in her best interest to stay clear of it.

"Ahhh, there you are" someone suddenly said from behind Raven. She froze up instantly in panic, a single thought in her head; he could not have possibly caught up with her so fast. There was only one way she could confirm this so she slowly turned around to once again face off against the Boogeyman, casually leaning against his cane. He cast a quick glance over Raven before returning his attention to her.

"So you found my carnival, I see?" he asked rhetorically. Raven was already gathering her energy for another battle. The Boogeyman made no move to attack himself. In fact, he looked thoroughly amused. Finally Raven had had enough of this stand-off.

"Are you going to fight or bore me to death?" she asked sarcastically while sending a bolt of dark energy towards the Boogeyman, which he simply blocked with the palm of his hand. But he immediately suspected that something was wrong when Raven smiled triumphantly at him.

"Gotcha!" she said just as the bolt expanded and trapped the Boogeyman in a ball of black energy. Smiling sadistically and truly savoring the moment, Raven formed several black blades around the ball and with a single flick of her wrist sent them all piercing it. But it was far from over, already she could feel that blasted thing's magic building up inside the ball. She gave a deep sigh as she counted down.

"3… 2… 1" and immediately after, the ball exploded from the inside. But just a second after the explosion, a second one occurred; this one stronger than the first. This was Raven's trap; that ball was not a barrier to contain the Boogeyman, it was a bomb that was rigged to detonate upon coming in contact with any form of magic energy. If your opponent is stronger than yourself, fight dirty. From the dust and residual energy floating around in the air, the Boogeyman emerged and Raven indulged herself with another sadistic smile at the state of her opponent. His cane was broken, his suit was tattered and torn and his body was riddled with holes from all the blades. But despite the number of deadly wounds he had sustained, he was still standing and ready for more. Raven had honestly not expected to kill him with that move. After all, he was a daemon lord; he could no doubt take a beating from Superman himself and still stand tall. Nevertheless, it was still satisfying for Raven to see that he was not invincible as his wounds bled out some purple colored ichor and he stood a little slumped.

"For that, I'm going to make your death slow and painful" the Boogeyman stated matter-of-factly, not a trace of anger in his voice. Raven could not contain herself, she started to giggle evilly.

"I think you should be more concerned about yourself first before throwing threats at me" she said sinisterly. The Boogeyman was confused to what she was meaning, until he felt the first traces of numbness in his body. He could feel his wounds slowly grow numb and how it was spreading across his body. He turned an accusing glare towards Raven, who was still giggling.

"A little trick that I learned from Mal'Bolough. I converted my dark energy into a powerful poison specifically designed to kill daemons, and every single blade that pierced you was filled with that poison" she explained smugly while she began to approach the now kneeling Boogeyman.

"Though I must admit that my work was amateurish at best. I highly doubt that my poison will be strong enough to slay a daemon lord" she added as an afterthought. But she then got a dangerous gleam in her left eye while the red glow from her right eye intensified.

"But it should be enough to render you defenseless for a few minutes. Plenty of time for me to carve you up" Raven stated sadistically while forming two black blades in her hands. She crossed them in front of the Boogeyman's throat. But surprisingly he just gave Raven his own sadistic smile, causing Raven to frown in confusion.

"Well, it would seem that I've clearly underestimated you, daughter of Trigon. Had we met under other circumstances, I would have loved to count you as an ally of mine. But sadly, as long as you remain a pawn of Mal'Bolough we will be enemies, and so far I've never let a single enemy leave my kingdom alive" the Boogeyman declared to Raven, who by now was more than simply confused. What the hell had he meant by "pawn"? But before she could ask him about it, she detected several sounds at once. From the circus she could hear heavy, almost gargantuan footsteps coming closer, accompanied by psychotic laughter. From the forest she could hear childish giggles. And lastly, there was the unmistaken sound of wings flapping.

"While I may not be able to kill you right now, I'm certain that my **army** will do the job for me" the Boogeyman said, articulating greatly when mentioning his army. Raven instantly backed away from him to face her surroundings, eyes wildly scanning after possible threats. The first one to emerge was a little girl from the forest dressed as Little Red Riding Hood, followed closely by more of those infernal magic eating kids. What came next was certainly not something Raven had expected, for out from the circus came a whole band of clowns. They were of every possible appearance and height, some were even as big as a five story building. How in the world they had managed to squeeze those gargantuan things into those tents were beyond Raven. It was then the Boogeyman's "air force" made its entry. But the moment Raven cast her gaze at them as they circled the skies, she immediately turned away in utter shock to preserve her own sanity. She had been able to tell that they had large birdwings on their back, but the rest of those creatures were impossible to discern. _Where the hell had the head on those things been, _Raven thought in shock, _and how in the name of Azar could you fit the arm where it was? _

"It's been a while since I was forced to call upon my loyal soldiers to do battle for me. But when facing an opponent such as you, I think it's prudent to be on the safe side and have plenty of back-up" the Boogeyman said. But Raven was not paying any attention to him, she was too busy trying to keep an eye on as many opponents as possible. They had now completely encircled her and they all looked like they wanted to tear her to pieces.

"_**Well. This does not look good, does it?" **_Mal'Bolough suddenly asked. Raven felt an extreme urge to face palm from that stupid sentence while giving some form of sarcastic comment, but figured that now was not a good time to start bickering with her resident daemon lord. Surveying her surroundings, she found no way for her to escape. She could not run because she was surrounded and she could not fight because there were too many for even her to handle alone. Of course, there was the option for her to simply teleport again, but that was not a good option either; the Boogeyman would just follow her again, along with his army. No, her only chance was to stand and fight, but as stated before there were too many of them. Unless…

"_Mal'Bolough, I need you to channel all of your power into me" _Raven mentally said. She already knew his reaction before it even came.

"_**WHAT?! Didn't I tell you earlier that you can't handle my full power yet?!" **_he screeched at her. Raven mentally sighed before replying.

"_I know that already, but we don't have any other options. We're surrounded and trapped in a world controlled by your old acquaintance. Now unless you want to be torn to pieces, I suggest you put some trust in me and give me that damn power!" _she practically snarled at him. Raven could feel that Mal'Bolough was anything but pleased with this turn of events. Nevertheless, he seemed to comply with her request as Raven felt an intense surge of energy into her body. At first it felt great, no it felt magnificent, as Mal'Bolough's power flowed freely through her. But that feeling did not last long for soon Raven felt like someone who had eaten or drunk too much. Nausea swept over her and she felt like throwing up. This feeling was only temporarily, and it soon gave way to something else; agony. Now she truly understood Mal'Bolough's warning that it could tear her apart from the inside, because that was what it felt like right now. Her face scrunched up in pain and concentration as Raven tried to control the raging powers threatening to obliterate her. This struggle left physical marks on her too; her second eye also began to glow a crimson glow, a second pair of eyes opened up above her first pair, her nails grew to claws, her teeth sharpened to fangs, her tongue turned into that of a snake, her skin grew paler while the veins in her body began glowing ink black, animalistic hisses kept spilling out of her mouth and dark energy was spilling out of her body. Many of the creatures surrounding her began to back away in fear as the sheer intensity of dark energy around her began to choke out the light. The energy was proving too much for Raven as she felt her sanity slowly seep away from her, but she stubbornly kept drawing on more of Mal'Bolough's power. _Just a little more, _she thought fervently. As she thought that, a number suddenly appeared on her chest, glowing red as a flame; 2. Finally, she slowly raised her head and her four eyes found those of the Boogeyman who watched her in a mixture of fear and fascination.

"Block this!" Raven hissed out, barely audible above the fearful murmurings of the Boogeyman's army and the terrible wailing that echoed from the darkness. And then, with a roar of pain, Raven let go of all the energy at the same, letting it spill out of her body like a black tidal wave. At first, all was silent on the field. Then the world was shaken by an earth shattering boom as all of Raven's gathered energy exploded like a miniature nuclear bomb, incinerating everything in a one km radius. There was never a chance for those caught within to scream out in fear.

* * *

><p><em>Alright, I must admit that I was anything but pleased with how this chapter was written. But I could not come up with anything better than this. But to compensate for this, I'll be posting chapter 18 along with this hapter. That way, you get at least something good to read.<em>


	18. Chapter 18: Goodbye Alexander

Salem

Massachusetts

As the rays of light shone down upon the city, its inhabitants went on with their daily lives. Cars drove down the roads, people crowded the sidewalks and the usual noises of a city flowed through the air, along with the smell of food from restaurants. But there was one aspect that marked out the city from all the others, not that the inhabitants knew anything of it. On a stretch of ground devoid of buildings there existed a massive tower, hidden by magical means from prying eyes. If anyone were to walk past, they would never even detect the building. This tower was the home of the powerful sorcerer known as Doctor Fate, and currently he was greatly disturbed. He had been meditating in his private chamber on the events around the Old Ones and the 'death' of Solomon Grundy, as well as searching for any remnants of the Old Ones' magic that might have still been left. But his tranquility had been violently shattered with the oncoming of a vast surge of dark magic. It had washed over Doctor Fate and had literally flattened him to the floor with its massive and uncontrollable power. He was certain that it was not the work of the Old Ones this time, but something far worse. But whatever it was, Doctor Fate knew that he must find it quickly. So after he had overcome the shock, he had worked hard to detect the source of this massive dark magic. But the surge had left traces of itself all over the globe and temporarily disrupted the natural flow of magic. The disruption was small and in the long run insignificant, but it prevented Doctor Fate from pinpointing the exact nature and location of this new threat. This would no doubt require large amounts of work, and undoubtedly a few sleepless nights. He quickly dressed into his usual uniform which consisted of a blue body stocking, blue boots, a golden belt around his waist, yellow gloves, yellow cape and of course the Helmet of Fate, a golden bullet shaped helmet. When he was done, the Egyptian Ankh hieroglyph appeared behind him and he vanished in a flash of light. He reappeared in a small library, where a middle-aged woman waited. She had black hair in a ponytail going down her back and was dressed in blue pants and a yellow sweatshirt.

"Inza, I need you to prepare a locator spell as fast as possible" Doctor Fate said. Inza just nodded her head and went to work. No questions needed to be asked, because she too had felt the surge of dark magic, though not as strongly as her husband. Doctor Fate meanwhile disappeared in another flash of light, he needed to find someone to help him. One thing he had managed to gleam from the dark magic, was that it was of daemonic nature. And Doctor Fate just happened to know someone who was an expert when dealing with daemons.

…..

When the dust from the explosion settled, only Raven was left standing. But it was barely that she was able to even do that properly. That last attack had not only drained nearly every last bit of power in both her and Mal'Bolough, but left terrible aches in her muscles which made every move painful for her. Raven still had some of her energy left, but it was at such a low level that even a dog would be a challenge for her. But at least she was still alive, which she probably would not have been had she spent all her energy in that attack. Mal'Bolough had also been drained to his limits, he had even been forced to withdraw into the crystal to recuperate. In a way, Raven guessed that he had fallen unconscious. As Raven surveyed the destroyed land around her and felt the intense ache in her body from the strain, one thought was foremost in her mind; I'm never doing this again. A slight stirring to her left drew Raven's attention. And there, struggling to get back up on his feet, was the Boogeyman. Even though he had somehow survived the explosion, the way he looked made Raven think that most people would have preferred death over this. His right arm was twisted in an odd angle both at the shoulder and at the elbow, his suit was at first in tatters but it quickly repaired itself and his left hand was gone along with half of his left leg. Although the wounds may have looked lethal, they were just temporarily crippling wounds to a daemon lord. The Boogeyman himself was not even concerned with his wounds, he would just devour a dozen or so of his own lackeys to use their life force to heal himself. The thing that did concern him however, was the boot that was suddenly planted on his chest and pressed him back down the ground. It turned out that Raven was in no mood to wait for her opponent to get back up on his feet, so she had closed the gap between them as quickly as her legs could carry her. Now, as the Boogeyman lay helpless on the ground with his adversary looming over him, he could not help but admire her daemonic attributes. The changes wrought to her body were still there, except for the number 2, and… were those wings that sprouted from her back? It was hard to discern from all the black smoke spewing from her body, but the Boogeyman was certain that those were birdwings on her back; a raven's wings to be exact. Despite the situation he was in, he could not help but smile at her.

"You truly have become an angel of darkness" he said sincerely to her, she did not even blink at his compliment. Raven just pressed her foot down harder on him, making it clear who was in control.

"**I'll give you one chance to save your pitiful life, if you can even call it that. Either you open up a way back to the mortal world, or I'll tear the knowledge out of your skull!" **Raven said in response, her usual dry and feminine voice mixed with a much deeper and masculine voice. Raven put all her energy into both sound and look menacing, because that was all she could do. If it came down to a fight, she doubted that she could defeat the Boogeyman. She just prayed that he would not call her bluff. Raven then increased the pressure on the Boogeyman's chest.

"**Time's up, what's your answer?"** she calmly asked him as both of them stared deeply into each other's eyes, trying to determine who would fold first.

…..

The T-car came to a screeching stop outside of Cole Industries as Cyborg applied all the pressure he could to the brake to stop the speeding car. The moment the car stopped moving, all the doors flung open and the Teen Titans rushed out of the car and up the steps to the entrance. Robin was in the lead with Cyborg close behind, Starfire hovering above them and Beast boy bringing up the rear. Robin stepped up to the door and yanked on the door handle, finding it locked. He could have just picked the lock but time was against them on this, so he decided on the more direct approach.

"Cyborg" he said as he stepped away from the door. No further instructions were needed as Cyborg turned his right hand into his trademark sonic cannon and fired of a blast into the door. The Titans quickly rushed inside the building, but stopped cold at the sight of what lay in the lobby. Six guards lay in pools of their own blood, each one killed by a precision shot to the back of their heads. Even though this was the second time this day that they saw this, it was still hard for some of them to watch the corpses. Robin balled his hands into fists while the rest of the team looked away.

"We can't help these poor souls, but we can still catch their killer" Robin said before sprinting past the dead guards, followed closely by the others. But Beast boy lagged behind a little when he caught sight of a crow perched on a security camera. He gave the crow a threatening glare and a low growl before he hurried to catch up with his friends.

…..

Alexander Cole was deeply worried now. Everything seemed to go from bad to worse today. First that idiot Iron Mask failed to get the crystal for him, then the Hunter lost the only bargaining chip he had, followed by Raven making an all-out attack on him, and finally there was the fact that his assistant Lucifer had simply vanished along with Raven. _What else could possibly go wrong, _he thought bitterly. And in true ironic style, his thought was answered when he heard a crackling noise in his office. If Alexander had been able to see, he would have seen the pentagram on the floor flare up and a purple triangle formed above it. The purple energy at its center soon began to bleed away, until it had become a dark void framed by purple energy. Soon after, Raven stepped through the portal, now returned to her normal human form. And as soon as she had stepped through, it vanished in another flash of purple energy along with the pentagram on the floor. Raven gave a quick glance around the room to make sure there were no more surprises waiting for her before directing her now hateful glare straight on Alexander.

"I've had a _very _rough day today, so I just want to get this over with so I can go home and sleep" she grumbled out. Alexander was quick to recognize whose voice it was and he quickly came to the conclusion that whatever Lucifer had tried to do, it had failed. But Alexander was not done yet, for he still held his best card.

"So what exactly do you plan on doing? Throw me in jail without evidence after you _illegally _broke into my property and beat up my security for no reason?" Alexander mockingly asked her while smiling triumphantly. That was his strongest weapon; he had the law on his side. There was no evidence that could incriminate him, and if there were he could easily make it disappear with the right amount of bribing. Raven herself was unsure, even though she looked unfazed on the outside. Now when she really thought about it, she had no idea why she had been so reckless as to attack Alexander in the open without any evidence other than the words of a madman. Raven thought the same question that Alexander had asked; what was she going to do next?

"Yes, what _exactement_ will be your next move, _petite corbeau_?" a voice suddenly said from behind her, a voice she recognized all too well. Swirling around with her hands held up defensively, Raven found Iron Mask casually leaning on the threshold to the office.

"Iron Mask, thank goodness that you're here! Now, deal with this girl before she draws unnecessary attention to me!" Alexander exclaimed, but both Raven and Iron Mask ignored him. A fact he only registered when he did not receive a reply and there were no sounds of combat. Raven was still facing Iron Mask, ready to do combat if it came down to it. Iron Mask did not even move from his spot, he just calmly observed Raven.

"Well?" he suddenly asked. Raven blinked a few times in surprise, even dropping her arms to her sides. But she instantly returned her features to the stone hard expression she had worn before.

"Well what?" she retorted. Iron Mask first glanced over her shoulder to where Alexander was still sitting before he returned his gaze fully to Raven. She fought down the urge to gulp in fear as his gaze was seemingly piercing straight through her to scrutinize her very soul. Raven was both confused and angry with herself; she had immense power at her disposal, far greater than anything that Iron Mask could ever hope to achieve and she even beat him once. So why in the nine levels of hell was she so easily intimidated by a simple look from this man?

"What are you going to do next? You've beaten all of his guards and defeated his personal _garde du corps_. He's now _complètement_ at your mercy" Iron Mask patiently explained to her while pushing him off the wall and beginning to approach her in a predatory manner, closing the door behind him. Raven did not back down, but she froze up like a prey spotting a predator.

"I-I don't know" she stammered out. Raven felt truly stupid; she had battled this guy before and beaten him and she had faced a daemon lord in battle and lived to tell the tale, yet here she was stammering in fear. No, not fear when Raven thought about it, there was something else that made her this way. But what was it? Awe? Respect? Trepidation? Reverence? Or could it be that despite his evil ways and his twisted mind, Iron Mask was the only thing on this Earth that Raven felt any kinship with? No, that could not be right to Raven; he was a villain, she was a hero. That was how simple it was.

"_**Or is it?" **_Mal'Bolough asked her, to which she tried to block out his voice and failing miserably at. Iron Mask had by now walked right past her frozen figure. He then turned around and leaned his head close to hers so it was nearly resting on her shoulder.

"_Je sais_, why don't you kill him?" he asked her in a friendly manner, as if they were talking about going out to buy candy. Raven's eyes widened in shock from that. Iron Mask placed his hands on her shoulders and forced her to turn around to face Alexander, who had apparently heard Iron Mask's proposition as he was sweating profusely.

"You know as well as I do that _justice_ will never get him. He will just worm his way free from any _sentence_, and you will take his place in _le tribunal_. It would be best for everyone _impliqué_ if he were to just die" Iron Mask continued to explain to the still shell-shocked Raven. She finally gathered enough will to shake her head lightly.

"B-but I c-can't… I can't kill him" Raven weakly protested. Damn this all, why did her voice have to sound so pitiful. When she thought about it, why did she even listen to Iron Mask? He was the enemy for heaven's sake! She should be beating him down and locking him up, not stand there like a pathetic schoolgirl. Yet how much she tried to convince herself, the truth was that she did not have the will to strike down Iron Mask. For some sick and twisted reason she felt that maybe she should listen to him.

"_**You didn't seem to have any trouble with it back in the Boogeyman's world" **_Mal'Bolough suddenly said. Raven balled her hands into fists from that and looked ready to tear Mal'Bolough to pieces.

"_That was different!" _she desperately said in her defense. Mal'Bolough simply chuckled.

"_**Then can you please enlighten me on how it was different to kill living creatures that resembled humans?" **_he sweetly asked of her. Raven did not answer his question, for she had no answer. This was so wrong to her. Just an hour ago she had been filled with so much strength and confidence from Mal'Bolough, but now it had all evaporated. Raven snapped out of her thoughts when Iron Mask held out the handle of a gun for her to take.

"Why the _hésitation_? You have the will buried deep inside you, and don't tell me that you don't find the idea _satisfaisant_, because we both know that that would be a lie" he said to her. And despite how much Raven wanted to say otherwise, there still was a side of her that did find the idea appealing. But still, she was not about to kill Alexander just because this madman wanted her to.

"You certainly didn't find it hard or _répulsif_ back at the mine" Iron Mask added sinisterly. Raven felt her breath get lodged in her throat when he said that, because it was true. She had even enjoyed tearing Iron Mask to pieces.

"That was different! I knew that you couldn't die!" Raven nearly screamed at him. Iron Mask simply chuckled while leaning close to her.

"_Oui_, you are right on that account. But you can't _dénier_ that you found the sight of blood and death _amusant_. I believe you even said something like 'I'm having way too much fun to quit just because you can't die' if I remember _correctement_" Iron Mask countered, and Raven could not deny it. It had been a thrill to her, one that her daemon side craved for. Remembering the rush she had felt when "killing" Iron Mask, Raven could not help but wonder if it was so dangerous to experience it again.

"_**What's stopping you?" **_Mal'Bolough tentatively asked. The image of Iron Mask lying on the throne in bloody pieces unintentionally sprung up in Raven's mind. Despite her best efforts, the image would just not go away and the temptation proved too much for her. Slowly, cautiously, her right arm rose up, reaching for the gun Iron Mask was still holding out for her. Her fingers grazed over the handle with utmost delicacy before she firmly gripped it. Raven gazed at the gun in her hand hypnotically, both marveling and fearing the power of life and death she was clutching in her hand.

"Whenever you're ready" Iron Mask said as he let go of the gun and backed away. Raven looked very unsure of herself at the moment, for the simple reason that she had never held a gun with the intention of killing a defenseless human before. She slowly raised the gun with a trembling arm, looking down the aim to where Alexander was still seated.

"N-now now, Raven, let's not get t-too hasty h-here! I'm s-sure we can c-come to an agreement w-without bloodshed!" Alexander desperately pleaded in an attempt to save his own life. But Raven was not listening, she was barely even aware of Alexander. All her focus was on the gun clutched in her hand. It should really be easy, she thought. All she would need to do was aim down the sight, pull the trigger and…

**BAM**

Raven blinked several times in confusion while Alexander looked down on his chest in surprise where a bullet wound now existed, not that he could see it. Raven was in shock, had she just pulled the trigger? She was the only one with a gun in the room and the barrel was smoking, but she had never registered pulling the trigger in the first place.

**BAM**

There went another bullet from her gun, and another bullet wound in Alexander. Was it really that easy for her? This was so surreal to Raven. But by Azar, it felt so satisfying to her to see her enemy bleeding and in pain. Alexander raised his hand in a pleading gesture, but Raven ignored it.

**BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM BAM**

Raven emptied the entire clip in a matter of seconds, a maniacal grin starting to form on her mouth and her right eye's hellish light grew stronger. The moment the gun clicked empty, Raven rapidly ejected the empty clip, snatched a fresh clip being offered by Iron Mask, slammed it into the gun and emptied it too into Alexander.

"Kids, they grow up so _rapide_" Iron Mask said quietly to himself, watching Raven's actions the same way a parent would observe their child taking its first steps. As soon as the second clip was emptied, Raven threw the now useless gun aside and strode right up the Alexander's desk. She had no idea if he was still alive but nevertheless, she felt that there was one last thing she wanted to do. Raven flung the desk aside with her powers and placed her boot on Alexander's chest before giving it a strong shove, sending both the chair and Alexander crashing through the window behind them and to fall forty stores down. Raven slowly walked up to the broken window to gaze down on the busy streets below. Dizziness suddenly overcame her, probably due to her over taxation of her already weakened power earlier, and she was forced to lean against the wall for support.

"_**See, that wasn't so hard now, was it?" **_Mal'Bolough asked just as Iron Mask calmly strode up to her right, his gaze too traveling over the streets below. He found great amusement in the turmoil that Alexander's corpse had created down there.

"That was _splendide, mademoiselle _Raven, _splendide _indeed" Iron Mask humorlessly stated. Raven turned her head slightly to glare at him with her red glowing eye, whose light grew dimmer as her earlier rush of excitement faded.

"Whatever, it will be hell to pay when the Teen Titans find out about this" Raven grumbled out. She was not regretting her actions here. On the contrary, she relished what she had done here. But going up against her own teammates was not an idea that Raven was particularly fond of. Iron Mask did not bother to suppress the wicked smile that formed on his lips when he heard how Raven referred to her own teammates as if they were the enemy rather than her friends. There was no doubt about it; she was progressing extremely well. Iron Mask walked back into the office to retrieve his gun from the floor.

"_Oui_, about that…" he began as he slowly walked up behind Raven. She did not even pay attention to him at that point, too engrossed with admiring the view and regaining her strength.

"Remember, what I'm about to do will _sauver_ you a whole lot of _difficulté_ in the near _futur_" Iron Mask said. Raven frowned in confusion as she had no idea what he was talking about. She was about to turn around and ask him what he meant, but she never got that far as Iron Mask smashed the handle of his gun into the back of her neck, knocking her unconscious. Raven's body slumped together and was about to fall out the window when Iron Mask caught her around the waist. He carefully carried her into the office and gently lay her down on the floor. Even though Raven had progressed far on the path Iron Mask had set out for her, he knew that it was too early to take her away from the Teen Titans. If he tried now, the Titans would be on him like bloodhounds in an instant. No, what he needed was for Raven to sever her ties with the Titans on her own accord. Only then would Iron Mask make his next move. Besides, that massive release of dark magic from earlier would undoubtedly attract unwanted attention to her. Iron Mask needed to make the necessary preparations in order to prevent any inquisitive minds from foiling his plans. But just as Iron Mask stood up again and was about to leave, the door to the office was kicked in and Robin rushed in, followed closely by Beast Boy and Cyborg. Their eyes showed surprise at seeing Iron Mask here, except for Beast boy, but all of their eyes were instantly drawn to the prone form of Raven lying at Iron Mask's feet. The boys' heads all shot up instantly and glared darkly at Iron Mask.

"You better step away from her if you value your health" Cyborg threatened him as he powered up his sonic cannon. Iron Mask raised his hands in a surrendering gesture while backing away from Raven, towards the smashed window.

"_Calmez-vouz. _I haven't hurt her" _that much_, he added in his mind. Cyborg and Beast boy began to circle around Iron Mask to threaten his flanks while Robin approached him head-on slowly. Iron Mask was not about to be encircled by his opponents, so he backed even closer to the window. But that was when he noticed one fact about the Titans.

"Shouldn't it be four of you facing _moi_?" he asked curiously of Robin. Iron Mask knew that Starfire was originally being held in captivity, but he had expected the Titans to have rescued her by now. He never needed to hear Robin's answer when he heard the unmistakable sound of Starfire's bolts charging up behind him. Starfire had actually stayed on the floor beneath them and had been waiting to sneak up on Iron Mask through the air.

"Give it up, we have you surrounded" Robin told Iron Mask, obviously thinking he had this villain in the bag. But by placing Starfire in a position where she was out in the open, he had given Iron Mask an advantage. With but a single thought, Iron Mask sent a cloud of crows hunting for Starfire's flesh. Starfire gave a panicked yelp when she spotted the swarm of crows descending on her and was forced to abandon her position. But the crows were persistent and just kept coming at her, effectively removing Starfire from the main battle as she was too preoccupied with dodging and blasting the crows coming at her. Meanwhile, the battle between Iron Mask and the rest of the team opened up with Cyborg firing of a sonic blast into Iron Mask's side, sending him crashing straight into Beast boy who had turned into a grizzly bear and literally gave him a bone crushing bear hug.

"Got him!" Cyborg shouted to Robin, but the victory was short-lived as hundreds of crows dived into the office. A handful of them attacked Cyborg, keeping him occupied with protecting the few human parts he had on the outside, while the majority began picking on Beast boy, literally. Beast boy was forced to release Iron Mask to ward off the crows and Iron Mask took that opportunity to head towards the window. But Robin came up from behind, grabbed hold of Iron Mask and managed to get Iron Mask's right arm in an armlock behind his back.

"Move, and I'll dislocate your shoulder!" Robin threatened, but too late did he remember who he was dealing with here.

"_Bien_ by me" Iron Mask nonchalantly said. He then deliberately twisted his own arm, dislocating it in the process. It cost Iron Mask his own arm, but now Robin had no leverage to hold him in place. Robin realized that too late as Iron Mask swirled around while his arm was still in Robin's grip, snapping or dislocating every single bone in that arm, to deliver a fist straight into his right cheek. Robin staggered back, but was quick to recover as he brought out his extendable boo staff and assumed a martial arts stand. Iron Mask was calmly facing him without a single though of worry in him. He glanced briefly at his now useless right arm before glancing back at Robin.

"_Merde, çela ne va pas_" Iron Mask simply said and although Robin did not understand a single word spoken, he did not need to as he saw to his utter revulsion Iron Mask draw out a bowie knife and proceeded to cut off his own right arm. As the bloodied arm finally came free and landed on the floor, Iron Mask returned his focus to Robin, who looked ready to throw up.

"Are you alright there, _ami_? You look a little _pâle_" Iron Mask asked in curiosity. Robin shook his head to dispel that horrid image from his mind, though it was proving a challenge with Iron Mask still clutching the same bloodied knife in his remaining hand.

"You really are a sick man" was all Robin could come with to what he had just seen.

"_Bravo, bravo_! I would have applauded your _ingénieux_ comment if I would still have been able to" Iron Mask said, sarcasm overflowing with each word. Robin gritted his teeth in anger and charged straight towards Iron Mask. He swung his boo staff to smash into the left side of Iron Mask's head and sent it spinning. Iron Mask just let his whole body rotate with the force from the blow to come with a knife swing from the left aimed at opening up Robin's gut. He backed up just in time to avoid the blade and then brought his staff in a two-handed grip down on Iron Mask's wrist. There was no mistaking that the bone was broken, but Iron Mask refused to let go of the blade. And before Robin could attack again, Iron Mask charged him like a bull and rammed his iron clad head straight into Robin's chest and both combatants fell to the floor, both losing grip of their respective weapons in the process. Robin was the first one back up on his feet and while Iron Mask was still on his knees, Robin delivered a massive kick straight in his face. Iron Mask's head was smashed back violently and the unmistakable sound of bones snapping could be heard. But while Robin's boot was still in contact with Iron Mask's head, his remaining hand shot forward and grabbed hold of Robin's ankle. His eyes widened in surprise as Iron Mask swung him aside like a ragdoll, but he managed to deftly land on his feet. Iron Mask meanwhile staggered back up on his feet, the broken bones in his body snapping back into place and his crows regenerated his lost arm. Cracking his neck a few times, Iron Mask returned his focus to Robin.

"Do you have any more _ruses_ you want to show me?" he asked in a bored tone. Robin said nothing, but instead brought out a handful of pellets from his utility belt and threw them at Iron Mask's feet. They soon exploded in flashes of light and Iron Mask was obscured by smoke. Robin fearlessly rushed into the smoke and using his superior training, was quick to locate his opponent who had not even bothered to move. Without hesitation he rushed forward and smashed his fist into Iron Mask's gut, causing him to double over and Robin finished with a knee to the forehead. But there was one thing that Iron Mask had done while being covered by smoke; he had retrieved a stiletto knife from his pocket. Said knife was now used to slice open a wound on Robin's thigh. He cried out in pain in response, freezing up momentarily from the unexpected pain. That was all that Iron Mask needed as he closed the gap and introduced Robin's face to his fist. The blow landed right in his face and shattered his nose, blood pumping out of it in response. Robin staggered back in disorientation and even fell on his back. Seeing that his opponent was down for the count, Iron Mask calmly walked to the window again. As he stood at the edge, he turned around to face the still struggling Titans.

"While this has been _amusant_ for me, I'm afraid I'll have to take my leave now!" he shouted to them to be heard over the noises of battle before stepping over the edge, allowing his body to plummet towards the ground. Just as he was about to impact with the ground, his body dissolved into a swarm of crows that scattered in every direction. With Iron Mask gone, the remaining crows all fled too, giving the Titans a chance to recover their breaths.

"Is it over?" Beast boy asked as he morphed from a turtle back to his human form.

"Yeah, they're gone now" Cyborg said as he walked over to Robin to help him get back up on his feet. The knife wound and his nose were still bleeding quite a bit so he took out his first aid kit to bandage the wounds. Robin groggily looked around the office for a bit.

"Where's Starfire?" he asked while Cyborg bandaged his thigh. As if on cue, at that moment Starfire landed inside the office. She looked unscathed, but she was breathing heavily and was standing doubled over.

"Are you alright?" Robin asked in concern just as Cyborg finished bandaging Robin and rushed over to check on the still unconscious Raven. Starfire gave a nod of affirmation as she walked over to Robin to help him to stand upright. Together, the two walked over to Cyborg who was checking Raven's vital signs. Beast boy nervously approached as well.

"Is she…?" Beast boy asked fearfully, not daring to utter the last word for fear of it being true. But they all let out relieved sighs when Cyborg shook his head as answer.

"Nah, she's just exhausted and a little banged up. Nothing serious" he said, sounding just as relieved as his friends. Robin nodded his head and noted that Raven's chest kept rising and falling in a normal pattern, meaning she was breathing regularly. But that was when he noticed one detail that had apparently escaped Cyborg's attention.

"Nothing serious? Then how do you explain that?!" Robin asked harshly while pointing at the crystal embedded in Raven's chest. At first Cyborg looked confused, but when he saw the crystal with his own eyes he looked like he would faint at any second.

"Holy shit!" was all he could say in response. Beast boy had also seen it by now and was about to reach out to remove it, but Cyborg slapped Beast boy's hand away.

"Don't touch, you little grass stain! That thing has pierced her heart! If we try to remove it, we could cause massive internal bleeding! It's a miracle she's even still alive" Cyborg explained. He then turned to Robin.

"We need to get her to our medical wing ASAP" he said. Robin just nodded, too stunned to say anything. As Cyborg carefully lifted Raven up and carried her bridal style, one thought raced through all of the Titans heads; what happened to her?

…..

In a rundown alley in downtown Gotham, the Egyptian Ankh symbol appeared out of thin air, followed by Doctor Fate.

"I figured you'd show up sooner or later" a gruff and guttural voice said from behind. Turning around, Doctor Fate saw a squat, muscular man standing in the shadows, obscuring his features.

"It's been a while, Etrigan" Fate said politely just as the man stepped into the light. Etrigan turned out to be a daemon-like creature with orange skin, small horns, red eyes, bald head and ears resembling bat wings. He was dressed in a red leotard, a pair of medieval looking boots and a grey mantle. Etrigan just grunted at him.

"Since you're here and not Jason, I can only assume that you too felt that massive surge of dark magic" Doctor Fate stated. Etrigan nodded his head.

"Aye, it was very hard to miss it. But I was able to sense that it was not one source of magic behind this, but rather two merging their powers into one" Etrigan explained. It was hard to determine Doctor Fate's reaction to that news due to his helmet, but you could tell that he was intrigued.

"Really? Where you able to identify them?" he asked eventually.

"The first one was unknown to me and I don't know how to explain it, but it felt kind of diluted; like it was not fully daemon" Etrigan answered, but then gave a feral growl.

"But I easily recognized the second one, the stench of corruption coming from it could only belong to one creature" Etrigan continued to explain before pausing to lean closer to Doctor Fate.

"Mal'Bolough" he snarled out in contempt.

…..

Darkness; that was what greeted Raven when she regained consciousness, along with some kind of beeping noise that was irritating her ears. To say that she was simply confused and disoriented would have been a huge understatement. Several thoughts swam through her mind; where was she? Was she dead? What the hell had even happened? There were bits and pieces, but her head hurt too much for her to focus. But the pain at least answered one question, she could not possibly be dead if she felt pain.

"Dude, is she going to be okay?" a voice suddenly asked. It sounded so close to her, yet at the same time it sounded so distant.

"From a medical perspective; yes, she will be after a few hours rest" another voice answered. By now Raven had figured out that the darkness was in fact her own eyelids, but she could not muster the strength to open them.

"But what about the crystal in her heart?" a third voice asked. Crystal? What crystal where they talking about? Ah yes, now Raven remembered; they were talking about Mal'Bolough who was piercing her heart. But those voices, they sounded so damn familiar.

"I've run massive scans on her and they all say the same thing; we can't remove the crystal, not without killing her. Somehow it has attached itself to both her heart and her nerve system by some kinds of tendrils growing from it. But I don't think she's in mortal danger, all her vital signs are stable and there are no signs of internal bleeding" the voice from before answered again. Who the hell where these people? Raven knew that she had heard those voices somewhere but she could not place them at the moment and she could still not muster the strength to open her eyelids.

"But who could have done such a thing to friend Raven?" a fourth voice asked and unlike the other three, this one sounded like a girl.

"Isn't it obvious, it must have been that psycho Iron Mask who did it!" the third voice said. Iron Mask! Hearing his name finally cleared away the fog in Raven's head. That bastard had hit her from behind and knocked her unconscious. Oh how she was going to tear him to pieces once she got her hands around his throat.

"But what are we supposed to do with Raven? We can't just leave her like this, can we?" the first voice asked. Now that Raven listened really hard, she found that this voice had a certain high-pitched and sometimes whining tone that could only belong to one single individual; Beast boy.

"Don't worry, we'll think of something. I just hope it won't be something drastic" one of the other voices said, Raven did not catch who exactly because she stopped paying attention to them. Raven was starting to grow tired of seeing nothing but darkness, so she tried to open her eyes. After a brief but hard struggle, Raven managed to crack her eyelids open. She quickly regretted it as the sudden light temporarily blinded her, forcing her to close her eyes again.

"You know, it's considered rude to talk about someone as if they're not present" Raven grumbled out as she tried again to open her eyes, this time without the sudden backlash. At first, everything was blurry around Raven to the point that she began wondering if she really was still conscious. But finally she was able to discern four figures standing around her.

"Hey Raven, are you alright?" the one standing closest to her right asked. Though she still had trouble discerning his face, the obviously brightly colored uniform and spiky black hair easily betrayed his identity.

"Besides the fact that I have a crystal in my heart, my whole body feels like I've run a global marathon and my head is so dizzy that I can't help but ask if I'm still dreaming; then yea, just peachy Robin" Raven mumbled sarcastically, feeling another wave of exhaustion washing over her. At least her vision had cleared enough to see the smile adorning Robin's face, as well as his bandaged nose.

"Good to have you back" was all he said. It was then that Beast boy piped in.

"How do we know that it really is Raven? What if that crystal is a parasitic alien trying to suck out her brain and turning her into a mindless slave to do their bidding in a preparation for a massive alien invasion?!" Beast boy went on about, throwing his arms wide for emphasize. Truth be told, this was not the first time that Beast boy came up with a "theory" to explain situations like these, and they were always completely illogical. But right now, Raven was not in the mood to deal with his ideas. So she gestured with her finger for Beast boy to come closer. Ever curious, Beast boy did just that and when he had leaned close enough to Raven, she smacked him hard in the back of his head. He recoiled quickly, rubbing the back of his head. But then he smiled and laughed.

"Yeah, you're Raven alright" he said humorlessly. Raven just snorted as she lay back down. Robin then turned to Raven, all traces of joy gone and replaced by the usual grim features he wore. As a matter of fact, all the Titans were looking at her with some manner of unease. It did not take a rocket scientist to figure out what exactly put them on edge, they were all casting curious and sometimes fearful glances at her right eye.

"Raven, what the hell happened?" Robin asked her. That question brought a huge dilemma to Raven. The most logical choice for her would be to lie, because how can you honestly tell a hero and friend that you have willingly bonded with a daemon lord and used his power to attack innocent people and finally kill a human in cold blood? But coming up with a cover story was not something you did right off the bat, so Raven needed to stall for time.

"Can it please wait until another time? I feel so damn tired" Raven groggily said. Robin's expression softened and he nodded to her. It was not long until he had ushered out the rest of the team and closed the door, leaving Raven alone in the medical wing. Or so he thought.

"_**Took you long enough to get rid of them" **_Mal'Bolough grumbled out once he was sure the Titans were long gone. Raven just snorted.

"_It's not like you could've done better" _she retorted, not really being in the mood to discuss with Mal'Bolough any further. In fact, she was currently not in the mood to do anything else than rest up. She had not been lying when she had said that she was tired. If anything, she had made it look like she was less tired than she really was.

"_**True enough, but what will you do now? Because you can't seriously be thinking of staying with the Titans anymore" **_Mal'Bolough questioned her. Raven did not answer him, because she had no answer to give. She had not really thought what she should do now. Only now did Raven finally realize that what Iron Mask had said was true. What he had done did actually save her a lot of trouble. The rest of the Titans were obviously thinking that Iron Mask was the one who had done the deed, otherwise Raven was sure she would have woken up in bindings and in a cell rather than in a comfortable hospital bed. This gave Raven all the time she needed to think of what she should do without having to look over her shoulder all the time. But one thing was sure; she could not stay with the Teen Titans, not after what she had done with such joy. Raven was certain now; her path lay in a different direction than the one that her friends walked on.

"I have a greater destiny ahead of me. I will do whatever it takes to reach that destiny and no one will stop me, not even the Teen Titans. If they are foolish enough to do that, I'll crush them without a second thought" Raven said with conviction deep in her voice, not even fully registering that she had actually spoken out loud. Deep in her mind, Mal'Bolough smiled in satisfaction.

"_**That's my girl" **_he simply said.


	19. Chapter 19: Betrayal

Salem

Massachusetts

Two days later

Two days, two days of constant work for Doctor Fate and it was taking its toll on him. He may have been one of the Earth's most powerful sorcerers, but he was still just a human and like any human he needed to rest his body. But Doctor Fate kept pushing his physical needs aside and focused his whole being on completing this task. Too much was at stake here for Fate to take a break. He knew that the moment Etrigan had uttered the name Mal'Bolough. Doctor Fate may not have known everything, but he knew enough about this diabolical daemon to know that time was of the essence. So he worked with increased vigor in gathering the necessary equipment. Beside him, Etrigan huffed.

"I still think you should rest up before travelling. If you were to end up in a fight in your current state, you wouldn't stand a chance" he said in his usual gruff voice. Doctor Fate gave a defeated sigh as he turned to regard Etrigan.

"I know, but we can't afford to wait any further. Besides, I'll arrive in the home of the Teen Titans, I doubt I'll end up in a battle there" he explained to the daemon. After long hours of searching, Doctor Fate had in one single moment detected a surge of dark magic that matched the one from before, though it had not been as strong as the last one. It would have actually gone unnoticed if Doctor Fate had not been looking for just that signature. Etrigan just snorted at him.

"And I still don't see why you feel the need to drag those children into the affairs of their peers. They would never even stand up five seconds against someone like Mal'Bolough" he sneered back. While remaining impassive on the outside, Doctor Fate gave a mental sigh. Although Etrigan's first-hand knowledge and expertise concerning daemons was invaluable, his cynical and often condescending view of the world was something that clashed with Doctor Fate's own view. He was not called Doctor _Fate _for nothing.

"It's their city that is being threatened at this hour, and there is a great possibility that they have already battled this evil. Withholding vital information from them could prove dangerous to their lives" he explained, but then paused.

"And one of their members, Raven, is herself skilled in magic. She could be helpful in the future" Doctor Fate added. Etrigan scrunched his face together in suspicion.

"That half-daemon brat? For all we know she could be involved in this" he accused darkly.

"And what makes you think that?" Doctor Fate asked, but he already knew what Etrigan had meant. Etrigan gave him a pointed look.

"You know as well as I do how Mal'Bolough operates, what his goals are. And that girl just happens to fit the bill perfectly!" he snarled out. Doctor Fate simply nodded his head. Yes, he knew all too well how that parasitic daemon worked, and Raven was an ideal target for him.

"If Raven has begun to fall under the daemon's influence, then it's even more urgent that I reach the Titans" Doctor Fate said gravely. Etrigan gave him a "humph".

"Your funeral" he simply said as Doctor Fate vanished by his usual mean of teleportation.

…..

Robin kept pacing back and forth in his private study, obviously deeply concerned about something. And the thing he was concerned about was Raven. During two days' time he had seen a change in her that was spelled trouble with bold letters. She was still quiet and secluded but she was showing other attributes now, none of them nice in the least. Raven had become cold and sadistic, if such a combination was even possible, showing no regard for the lives and feelings of her friends. And several times she would become distant, looking at nothing in particular. It would almost look like she was listening to someone talking. But the most dangerous change in Raven, was her violent tendencies. Robin could still remember the event yesterday.

…..

_Flashback_

The Teen Titans stood arrayed against today's opponent; Doctor Light. Once again he was trying to rob a bank, once again he was either too arrogant or too slow to just grab the loot and run for it before the Titans showed up and once again he faced the teen heroes with the confidence of someone who thinks he has already won.

"Your pathetic skills can't outshine the brilliance of Doctor Light!" he exclaimed just as he fired off a laser beam straight at Robin, who effortlessly ducked the blast.

"Dude, haven't you already used that line before?" Beast boy suddenly asked. And against all common sense, Doctor Light actually stopped his attacks while holding chin in a thoughtful manner while looking puzzled.

"Are you sure about that? I don't remember ever having used it before" he admitted. Cyborg just shook his head while striding forward, powering up his sonic cannon along the way.

"Look, we all know how this will turn out. So why don't you just surrender and spare us all the time and pain" Cyborg offered as he aimed his sonic cannon at Doctor Light. In response, his features hardened and all the Titans mentally groaned as they realized that whatever delusion of invincibility that Doctor Light suffered from had struck again. So now they would have to waste hours on the procedure of beating him up, handing him over to the authorities and make sure he does not escape in between the earlier mentioned procedures. But just as the Titans prepared to do battle, Raven calmly stepped in front of her teammates with her back turned to them. The crystal was still embedded in her heart and she had outright refused all offers of having it removed.

"Robin, why don't you and the others take a break and let me handle this?" Raven suggested in such a happy tone that it sent a shiver down the Titans' spines. Robin steeped forward to stand next to her.

"I know that Doctor Light is just a pushover, but are you certain you want to take him on alone?" he asked in concern. But when he saw hat Raven's mouth turned into a twisted and sadistic grin, Robin felt his concern for Raven drain away replaced with something else; dread.

"Oh, don't you worry about me here" she said mischievously. Robin chose to back away as Raven approached Doctor Light. Robin silently urged the other Titans to back away as well. Doctor Light raised an eyebrow in surprise when seeing only one Titan challenging him, though he could not help but feel a tingle of dread in him when seeing that wicked smile on Raven's face and that infernal glowing right eye of hers. Not to mention his memories of previous run-ins with this Titan in particular.

"You think you can frighten me? You alone pose no threat to my power of light!" he boldly stated, trying to buff up his own courage which was already cracking. Raven's smile just grew wider.

"Then prove it" she simply said. Doctor Fate blinked in surprise.

"Huh?" was all he could say in response. So Raven elaborated.

"If I pose such a small threat to you, then prove it here and now by striking me down" she explained while spreading her arms wide in an "I dare you to shoot me" gesture. Doctor Fate just stared at her as if she had gone insane. The other Titans looked on in ever increasing alarm.

"You serious?" Doctor Fate asked unbelievable. Raven gave an audible sigh while still maintaining that creepy grin of hers.

"What's taking so long? I'm giving you a free strike at me and you just stand there like an idiot. Come on, just deliver the blow already!" Raven urged Doctor Light on. Needing no further encouragement, Doctor Light began charging up a power blast in his breastplate. Giving Raven his own manic grin to Raven, Doctor Light fired off his energy beam. Across the battlefield, one word was screamed from four throats.

"RAVEN!" but to everyone's great surprise and shock, the crystal suddenly flared to life. A black ink-like substance was spewed forth from it and said substance began to swirl around like a maelstrom in front of Raven. It turned itself into a miniature version of a black hole that swallowed up Doctor Light's attack in a heartbeat. It then dissipated, leaving an unharmed Raven and a shell-shocked Doctor Light in its wake.

"How…?" was the only word that escaped Doctor Light's throat. Raven just snorted at his display of power, obviously not impressed. A new number had also appeared on her chest; 10.

"Well that was disappointing. I had hoped that you would actually be strong enough to break my defense. Yet it seems that your little light bulb you call armor is no match for the void of darkness I control" Raven taunted. She raised her right hand and pointed with a single finger at Doctor Light.

"And you simply use brute force, hoping to blast your enemy to pieces with overwhelming power. It's just a waste of energy" Raven chastised as dark energy began to gather at her fingertip and the glow of her right eye intensified.

"When I fight, I prefer it when you can use a little more… finesse" she finished just as she fired of a small beam from her fingertip. It moved too fast for Doctor Light to counter at this distance and so it hit him in the chest, and went right through him. For a few seconds he just looked at Raven with disbelief before looking down on his chest where the beam was still piercing.

"Damn, I had meant for that one to go through your heart. It appears I have to practice more on my aim" Raven nonchalantly observed as she dispelled the beam, allowing Doctor Light to collapse to the ground. Raven was about to walk away when she noticed that Doctor Light's eyes were still open and he still kept breathing.

"Still alive? It appears my aim is even more horrendous than I first imagined. But no matter, let me rectify this small error" Raven sadistically stated as she formed a blade of dark energy in her left hand and strode towards Doctor Light, intent on finishing him off for good. Seeing Raven approaching with a sinister gleam in her right eye, Doctor Light tried to fearfully crawl away from her. But he was too weak from his wound to get very far, and he soon found himself forcefully flipped over on his back and having a boot keeping him pinned to the ground. Raven towered over him triumphantly, a mad grin on her lips and her blade raised for a decapitation strike. The crimson glow from her right eye grew even stronger as Raven's anticipation grew, the fact that her friends were standing just a few feet from her not bothering her in the slightest. At the moment, all of the Titans were frozen in shock by the spectacle, their minds trying in vain to comprehend what their own teammate had just done.

"And here it ends for you" Raven stated. She was just about to deliver the killing blow, but it was at that moment one of her friends snapped out of their trance-like shock. Surprisingly enough it was not Robin but Beast boy, who morphed into a ram and charged Raven. She herself was too preoccupied with savoring her soon-to-be next kill to react in time to Beast Boy's attack, and was knocked hard into a wall. Before Raven could even steady herself, Beast boy had morphed back into his human form and pinned her roughly to the wall, a look of anger and disbelief on his face.

"What the hell was that for?! Have you gone nuts or something?!" he practically shouted at her, meeting her stare head-on without flinching, that caught Raven by surprise since she had noticed that the other Titans often tried to avoid eye contact with her due to her right eye. Still, the fact that he kept her pinned to the wall did not sit well with Raven. She answered his anger filled glare with a look of boredom.

"Funny, I was just about to ask you the same thing" Raven retorted with a bored tone. Beast boy gave a threatening growl and was about to say something, but Raven was done playing nice and let her killer intent wash out of her and slam straight into Beast boy. With Mal'Bolough amplifying its strength, it was enough to get Beast boy to back away and fall over on his backside, a look of pure terror etched into his face. The other Titans had also felt the intense killer intent, but none as bad as Beast boy. Raven just nonchalantly walked past his prone form, muttering a single word that no one but her heard.

"Weakling" she then literally went up in smoke as she teleported back to Titans Tower. But Robin had caught a glimpse of a red glowing number on her chest; 9.

...

After nearly giving Beast boy a heart attack, Raven had retreated to her room; leaving the rest of the team to clean up her mess. She had remained in there for the remainder of the day. Thankfully there had been no witnesses to the scene and by the time that the medics arrived, Doctor Light had already passed out from blood loss. Robin had later learned that his condition had been stabilized at the hospital, though it had been a close call since the wound had been just one inch from his heart. No one from the team had talked to Raven after that, except for Starfire who tried to drag Raven with her to the mall for a shopping spree. Starfire never told what happened when she tried to persuade Raven. All the guys knew was that barely five minutes after heading to Raven's room, Starfire returned wide eyed and pale as a ghost. That had served as a warning for the others not to try their luck, but it also convinced Robin that action must be taken. But what should he do? Lock her up? That seemed the best course of action since she was slowly drifting towards evil and insanity, but it somehow felt wrong to do that to her.

"Damn, what the hell am I supposed to do?" he asked himself, having no answer for it. Suddenly, his communicator stated beeping, snapping him out of his brooding thoughts. Robin quickly pulled it out of his utility belt and flipped it open.

"Robin here" he said. Strangely enough, all there was on the screen was static, but a slightly distorted voice could be heard.

"_Is this Titans Tower?_" a male voice asked from the other end, sounding terrified.

"Yes, who is it?" Robin asked cautiously.

"_No time to explain! Listen, get rid of the crystal, it is evil incarnate! And for God's sake, do not listen to the voice for it will be your undoing!" _the one on the other end shouted frantically with a voice that screamed panic and terror. Then the call was hung up.

"Hello? Hello? Are you still there? What did you mean?" Robin asked in confusion until he realized his mysterious caller had hung up.

…..

Standing at the top of a massive skyscraper, Iron Mask watched Titans Tower like a hawk. In his right hand was the cellphone he had just used to call Robin with his "warning".

"I should _probablement_ be in _théâtre_" he mused out loud, chuckling at his own joke. Now that the next stage was in motion, he needed to prepare for the arrival of an unwelcomed guest.

…..

A robot came right at Raven with a broadsword and she formed a black barrier that deflected the swing before making a backflip to avoid a flying circular saw blade that would have cut her in half. Just as it passed underneath her, Raven enveloped it in dark energy and redirected it at the robot that attacked her earlier. She landed gracefully on her feet just as the saw blade cut the robot in half. She took a second to check the timer to see how long she had been training now, it read one hour and fifteen minutes. Her heightened senses alerted her just in time for her to sidestep a steel fist that would have otherwise cracked her skull open, she in turn formed a black blade in each of her hands and used her right hand blade to slice off the arm the fist belonged to and then pierce the head of the robot with her left hand blade. Raven had set this training on the hardest difficulty in order to train her skills. What she focused on most was to train her physical skills. For this reason, she was not wearing her cloak since it would just get in the way. Normally, the last thing someone with a preference to magic and long range fighting would train up was their ability to fight in close combat, but Mal'Bolough had felt it would be prudent for Raven to learn to hold her own when it came to battling up close and personal. As it also turned out, Mal'Bolough was quite a traditionalist and had already decided that Raven would learn the noble art of dueling, though some might argue that Mal'Bolough's way of dueling was cheating. But he had made it crystal clear to Raven that he would never let her hold a sword until she had trained up her muscles and reflexes. Besides, it helped in creating a fluent style of fighting for Raven since she mixed in her own powers. Not that Raven enjoyed this very much.

"Why in the name of Trigon do I have to do this? I can just use my teleportation power to avoid close combat" Raven grumbled out as she ducked underneath a decapitation strike before shattering the robot's right knee with a power enhanced kick.

"_**Yeah, yeah! Quit your whining and put your back into it!" **_Mal'Bolough said irritably while Raven blocked an axe swing coming from her right with a black barrier before encasing her left fist in dark energy and smashed the robot's chest open.

"Seriously, I'll probably never need these skills in a real combat. I'm far too powerful now for anyone to even last five seconds against me" Raven retorted with conviction. Mal'Bolough sighed deeply. Overconfidence, the bane of uncountable heroes and villains alike.

"_**That's what I once thought too. And look where that got me" **_he stated seriously. Raven could only nod in answer, remembering his tale of how he became to be like he is today.

…..

_Flashback_

"_Mal'Bolough, I need to ask you something" _Raven said mentally as she was levitating in the air in her room, sitting in a lotus position.

"_**And what would that be?"**_ Mal'Bolough asked curiously. Raven took a deep breath before asking.

"_Who are you exactly? I know that you're a daemon lord whose power is meant to belong to half-daemons, at least according to Iron Mask, but I don't know anything about your past or your reasons for doing what you're doing" _Raven stated. Mal'Bolough gave a small chuckle.

"_**And I assume then that you think that since you don't know me, you can't trust me?" **_Mal'Bolough asked her rhetorically. He remained silent after that for quite a long time, so long in fact that Raven thought that he was not going to answer her question.

"_**Very well, I'll tell you my story"**_ he suddenly said. There was another pause after that, obviously he was thinking on where to begin.

"_**My story begins somewhere around 10.000 B.C. when humanity was nothing more than a bunch of nomadic scavengers. I was born in one of the countless tribes that roamed the world" **_Mal'Bolough began but was interrupted by Raven.

"_Wait, you were born a human?" _she asked in disbelief.

"_**Yes of course, but no one in my tribe could figure out who my father was since my mother had no mate and I didn't bear any resemblance with any of the men in the tribe. Already in my early years I stood out from the rest of them; I was faster, stronger, more agile and far more intelligent than my lesser brethren. But most of all; I had a power that was beyond anyone in those days could ever grasp. I had inherited from my father a mastery over the night itself, a skill to control the darkness. It made me a feared and respected figure among the tribes" **_Mal'Bolough continued before he paused, temporarily lost in old memories.

"_**But to make a long story short; after years of living among the humans, I was approached by my father. As you can guess, he was a daemon and he offered to teach me. To this day I don't know what drove him to make such a decision but it proved to be the beginning of my ascension. When he had taught me everything he knew, I killed him" **_Mal'Bolough continued but was once again interrupted by Raven.

"_You killed your own father?! How could you do such a thing?" _she asked harshly.

"_**I believe that you know all too well how useless a daemon is as a parent. Besides, if you want to reach the top, you got to stand on a few corpses"**_ Mal'Bolough explained. Raven could not argue with the logic, so she remained quiet.

"_**Now where was I? Ah yes, after the demise of my father, my power kept on rising. And through mystical means and further study, I achieved something that no one has done after me; I ascended to become a full daemon lord" **_Mal'Bolough explained. Raven was rendered speechless in shock and awe that a human, even if he was part daemon, could achieve such a feat. But Mal'Bolough did not mention one crucial factor in the transformation process; that it required that you consumed hundreds of human souls as well as eating their flesh, all to destroy every last bit of humanity that was in your own soul.

"_**But it was many daemon lords who did not like that an upstart human had managed to push himself up to their ranks, so they plotted to destroy me. For centuries they tried, but I was too strong for them. But in the end, they found a way to beat me; they used an ancient weapon that nullified all forms of magic. And with my strongest asset removed from the board, it was child's play for them to defeat me, since I had no skill in fighting close combat. I was forced to flee back to the mortal world, where I crafted this crystal to hide my power from those that would want to destroy me. Since then, I've moved from one owner to the next, biding my time and looking for someone who has the same potential as I had" **_Mal'Bolough finally concluded. Raven took a few moments to mull it over in her mind. It explained a few things to Raven, but there was still one thing she wanted an answer to.

"_One last question; Iron Mask said that your power was made for our kind, what did he mean by that?" _she asked. To her surprise, Mal'Bolough let out a light chuckle.

"_**Told you that, did he? Well, he may have been exaggerating a bit when he said that it was 'made' for our kind, but he was partly right since only our kind can use it. I made sure that when I was sealed inside this crystal that no full-blooded daemon would ever be able to harness my power. A normal human can of course use my power, but it's a death sentence for them since my power is far too strong for a human to ever be able to wield without dying. The only exception to the rule so far was a black armored knight some seven thousand years ago, still haven't figured out how he managed to wield me for a hundred years. But in the end he became so dependent on my magic that he could not survive when I was removed for but a few minutes. The only ones who can wield my power safely are those that have daemonic blood in their veins but are not a full daemon. In other words, only half-daemons can use me" **_Mal'Bolough carefully explained. Raven nodded her head, now things made more sense to her than before. A small thought suddenly struck Raven and she could not stop herself from voicing it.

"_Hey Mal'Bolough. If you were able to ascend to daemonhood, would it be possible for me to do the same? _She asked curiously. Unseen by Raven's eyes, Mal'Bolough gave a true diabolical smile at the question.

"_**It is not impossible" **_Mal'Bolough replied smugly. This was going easier than he could have ever hoped for.

…..

"_Alright, I'll admit then. I might need these skills after all" _Raven grudgingly admitted, causing Mal'Bolough to smile inside her mindscape. He was about to say something else, but Raven had no time to listen as another robot came at her with a trident. Raven easily sidestepped the attack, causing the trident to impale another robot that had tried to sneak up on her from behind. Before the robot with the trident could retrieve his weapon, Raven smashed its head off with an energy enhanced fist. Before moving on to her next opponent, Raven cast a curious glance at the trident. _Didn't know we had such a weapon in our training arsenal, _she mused to herself. But just as Raven was about to engage another robot, it suddenly froze up and a short alarm indicated that the training session had terminated itself.

"_Raven, I need you to come to the living room as quickly as possible" _Robin's voice rang out from Raven's communicator. She let out an irritated growl as she walked over to a nearby bench to retrieve her cloak.

"What the hell does he want now? If he's going to give me another one of those damn 'lectures' of his, I'll throw him into the bay" she grumbled out in anger as she made her way out of the training room. Mal'Bolough on the other hand had a decent idea of what was going on. Though he was uncertain what would transpire in the next few minutes, he was certain that today Raven would be forced to make her final choice; her power or her friends. To say that he was excited about the coming events would be a serious understatement. The trek up to the living room was in silence as both of them had other things on their minds, Raven thinking that if this was not an emergency then she would do something very painful to Robin while Mal'Bolough kept going over plans to make sure that Raven made the choice that he wanted her to make. When Raven finally reached the door to the living room, she could sense that all the other Titans were also present. For some unknown reason, it made Raven tense up. Taking a deep breath and putting on her most cold and indifferent look she could muster, Raven opened the door and confidently walked in. She only cast a quick glance around the room before strolling over to Robin who stood at the main computer, seeing Beast boy and Starfire sitting at the table and Cyborg standing in the kitchen.

"You wanted to see me" Raven stated when she stood in front of Robin, appearing on the outside to be completely uncaring for what went on around her. But in truth, she was on extremely high alert. Her empathic powers were working overtime on her friends. On the outside they all seemed to be calm, but Raven knew better. She could sense vast amounts of nervousness, concern and… guilt? Now that made Raven even more cautious, because what in God's name could they feel guilty over? Whatever it was, Raven was sure that she would soon find out, one way or the other.

"Yes, there's something I wish to discuss with you" Robin said while carefully observing Raven. She in turn met his thoughtful stare with an icy glare.

"I'm going to be blunt about this and simply ask; what the hell happened to you Raven?" Robin asked. Raven gave a snort of irritation.

"Then I'm going to be equally blunt and simply say; none of your damn business" she responded coldly. Now Robin was becoming agitated.

"I thought I'd already told you before; it _is_ my business when it affects a teammate of mine. And right now, whatever have happened to you have affected you in ways that I can't even imagine" he retorted. Raven's glare grew even colder, if such a thing was even possible, as she was seriously debating whether to snap a bone or two in his body to give him something else to complain about.

"I'm growing tired of this pointless debate. Unless there's something else you want to bother me with, I'm going back to my training" Raven hissed at him, for once actually thankful to have training, if nothing else then as an excuse to get away from Robin. He in turn faced her with an even more determined look.

"There is one other thing; I need you to give up the crystal" he simply said. Raven suddenly lost all self-control and simply stared at him in complete incomprehension.

"What?" was all she could say, speaking with a rare tone of complete surprise. She had been caught so much by surprise that she even forgot to be angry.

"Don't make me repeat myself" Robin simply said. Raven had by now regained control of herself and managed to return to her earlier cold and uncaring appearance.

"That can't be done, or have you already forgotten that the crystal have attached itself to my nerve system?" Raven asked rhetorically.

"Cyborg is certain that he can perform a quick surgery to remove it" Robin calmly explained. Now Raven was angry again. No, scratch that, she was furious. There was no way they were taking Mal'Bolough away from her.

"In that case, I respectfully refuse" Raven said while placing a hand over her heart. Robin gave a highly audible sigh at that.

"This isn't optional. That thing is dangerous, and it is for the best that it's removed" he stated to her. Raven looked ready to strangle Robin at that point.

"I don't give a damn what you think or say about this! The crystal is mine, its power is mine, and I'm never letting go off it! No one will tell me what to do with it; not you, not Cyborg, not Beast boy, not Starfire! It's mine and mine alone to do with as I see fit, and nothing you say or do will change that" Raven ranted on in a fit of rage, her right eye once again glowing hellish red in response to her powers flaring up in preparation for battle. Robin stood there unflinching, his features illuminated by the infernal glow from Raven's eye, but his face softened somewhat.

"Raven, we're trying to help you here, can't you see it?" he pleaded with her, but Raven was adamant.

"I don't need your help! I don't want your help!" Raven snarled out at him. Robin looked at her with a regretful look which put her on end.

"Then I'm sorry that we have to do this" he said sympathetically. Raven narrowed her eyes in suspicion, there it was again; that vast amount of guilt washing of them. But it was only now that Raven detected that the other Titans had moved closer to her. In fact, Cyborg was standing right behind her. Before she could even react to his presence, she felt a needle pierce her neck. Cyborg had been quick to inject her with the sleeping drug before she became out of control.

"Was this really necessary?" Beast boy asked worriedly. He may not have been the smartest of the Titans, but he knew full well what the consequences would be. Raven would hate them for this, no matter how much they tried to prove that this was for the better, not that Beast boy could blame her. Raven was quick to lose her footing and fell into the arms of Cyborg who gently held her up.

"Let's just get this over with" Robin said. He too felt disgusted by what they just did to Raven, but they had no other choice, she was growing more and more out of control. Unfortunately for them, Raven might have been knocked out of the game, but Mal'Bolough was still awake and very, very pissed off.

"_**WAKE UP!"**_ he roared in Raven's mind while sending a huge burst of dark magic pumping right through her body. It burned through the drugs with ease and violently jolted Raven awake. She gave a startled gasp as her eyelids flew open and she felt as if someone had roughly snatched her from a deep and blissful sleep. A new number also appeared on her chest; 8. Cyborg stared down on her in surprise, clearly not expecting her to be awake already.

"What the…" he began to say but did not get any further as Raven twirled around, eyes blazing with fury, and sent Cyborg careening out through the door with a powerful blast of dark energy. Before the other Titans could even react to this, she was bolting out through the same door Cyborg had been sent through.

"Titans go!" Robin shouted. And thus the chase was on but this time they were not chasing a normal criminal, they were chasing their own friend and teammate.

…..

The first thing Doctor Fate did when emerging in Jump City was stagger a little from dizziness. That surprised him a great deal, since he had used this means of teleportation for years without ever experiencing dizziness. What further surprised him were the cold wind he felt and the noise of traffic below him. He had aimed to arrive inside Titans Tower which stood out in the bay, so he should not experience either wind or traffic noise. That dilemma was answered when he took a good look around him to see that he had somehow ended up on a roof in the middle of the city. But that still left one question unanswered; how the hell could he have ended up out here? He had never before missed with a teleportation.

"_Bonjour, mon vieil ami_" a cheerful voice suddenly said from behind. Doctor Fate was instantly on alert, one single thought racing through his head; Not him. He slowly turned around to face off against Iron Mask, who was casually leaning against a ventilation shaft.

"It's been awhile now, hasn't it, _Docteur_ Fate?" Iron Mask casually asked. Doctor Fate just glared at him.

"Iron Mask. I should've known you'd be involved in this. Only a madman like you would ever dare to tamper with the forces at play here" Doctor Fate stated coldly, already preparing to attack the madman. Iron Mask just laughed at his comment.

"No need to _flatteur_ me. And besides, what's the harm in playing with some _ancien_ magic that has caused the downfall of _civilisations_ in the past?" he asked humorlessly. Doctor Fate did not give a comment directly, instead he used a spell to create golden chains that wrapped around Iron Mask.

"How did you get me here?" he asked harshly once Iron Mask was tightly bound by the chains. Iron Mask first said nothing, but then he looked down on the ground. Following his line of sight, Doctor Fate's eyes came to rest upon an intricate network of runes that ran in every possible way, but always ended up in the same place.

"A little spell I learned a few centuries ago. It's really _ingénieux_ in how it taps into the flow of _magique_ in a certain area and serves as a black hole, irresistibly drawing in anyone trying to _voyager_ on its currents. Of course it's _relativement_ short lived, it has already burned itself out" Iron Mask went on to explain. Doctor Fate narrowed his eyes in suspicion at him.

"And what could you possible hope to gain from this?" he asked. Iron Mask gave a psychotic laugh in response, as if he found his question to be some kind of joke.

"Can't you figure it out? I knew you would come sooner or later, so I saw this as a perfect _occasion_ to get a _rematch_ against you" Iron Mask stated.

"I've defeated you before, Iron Mask, and I will do so again" Doctor Fate stated with conviction. Iron Mask gave a small chuckle in response.

"But _Docteur_ Fate, if you **defeated **me, then why am I still around?" he asked rhetorically just as a swarm of crows attacked. Doctor Fate was forced to divert his attention to them as they came at him from every side. He raised his hand and called forth a golden glowing dome around himself. The moment the crows came into contact with it, they burst into flames yet still they threw themselves carelessly at it, keeping Doctor Fate preoccupied with keeping the dome up. With Doctor Fate distracted, it was easy for Iron Mask to shatter his bonds.

"Face it, _Docteur_ Fate! You lost long before you even _arrivé_ here! This time, I'll be the one to stand over your broken body in _triomphe_!" he called out to his opponent who was obscured by thousands of crows. Suddenly a massive explosion of golden light occurred, scattering the crows in every direction. Standing unharmed by the crows, Doctor Fate glared at his opponent.

"We shall see" was all he said before levitating up in the air and encasing his hands in golden light. Iron Mask in turn raised his hand in the air and the crows came at his calling, swarming around him. As if on some unspoken agreement, both combatants aimed their hands at each other and unleashed their attacks.


	20. Chapter 20: Point of no return

Titans Tower

Raven ran as fast as her legs could carry her through hallway after hallway, but it was proving harder and harder; the drug they used on her was still making her head a little dizzy and she had just less than fifteen minutes ago been training as hard as her body would allow. But she could not stop, the Titans were hot on her tail. Already she could hear their footsteps getting closer. Ahead of her the corridor split off into four different directions. The one to the left was a staircase that would lead to the roof while the one to the right would lead to their rooms. Raven was about to run straight ahead, but then a steel door slammed shut ahead of her. _Damn security, _was the dominating thought in Raven's head as she instead smashed the door to the left open and darted up the staircase. She soon smashed the door leading out open and began running towards the edge of the roof. The plan was simple; use every last bit of power to fly as far away as humanly possible from Jump City and from there decide what she would do next. The plan was solid, but it did not count on the fact that Raven was not the only one on the team who could fly. Raven quickly found her escape route blocked by Starfire and before Raven could turn back, the other Titans had caught up to her and had already surrounded her on the rooftop.

"Please Raven we're just trying to help you here" Beast boy desperately pleaded. Raven just gave him the most hateful glare she had ever given, her right eye flaring up.

"You tried to drug me, against my will no less, and you expect me to believe that you're trying to help me?!" Raven hissed at him. Beast boy took a few steps closer, his arms held in a non-threatening way.

"Please, trust us. We're your friends" he tried again, looking ready to shed tears. In his eyes, Raven was still a friend, and he did not want to do this. This time it had some effect on Raven. Her earlier hateful expression softened and the glow from her right eye dimmed. Her gaze traveled to the roof for a few moments. Just as the other Titans were about to step closer, Raven raised her head again. She too now looked as sorrowful as Beast boy. Raven wanted to trust him, she wanted to believe that they were still friends. But they had passed the point of no return, they had betrayed her; and now they would pay the price. She slowly raised her right arm until it was pointed at Beast boy.

"No" Raven said with deep sadness, shedding a single tear from her left eye as she sent a black hand with razor sharp claws at him. Beast boy had barely enough time to duck from the attack. Robin had instantly retrieved his boo staff while Cyborg had activated his sonic cannon.

"Titans…" Robin began but stopped himself before his voice cracked from all the emotions. He had to appear strong for his friends now of all times. All the others made no move, waiting for the order to be given even though they all knew what order would come, they still would not act until Robin said so. Deep down, they probably still found it hard to fight their own friend, and wanted some form of confirmation that they must do it. Raven herself was patiently waiting for her friends, sorry, _former _friends to sort out their inner turmoil's, it gave her time to sort out her own. Despite her newly developed joy for killing and despite that they had betrayed her, there was still that small part of her that would rather avoid fighting the Titans. Finally it seemed that Robin had gained control of his own emotions as he straightened himself up.

"… take her down" he finished before leaping at Raven while making a low swing with his boo staff to knock her off her feet. Raven saw it coming and formed a small barrier that stopped the staff before thrusting her fist forward and sent out a blast of dark energy aimed for Robin's chest. He back flipped just in time to avoid it and even managed to land a kick on Raven's right shoulder. Snarling in pain and anger, Raven formed another barrier, this one the size of an elephant, and sent it right at Robin. It was too large for Robin to get out of the way in time and it crashed into him and sent him tumbling off the roof. Though luckily Starfire had seen it had was quick to catch Robin before was squashed against the rocks below. Cyborg meanwhile had been presented with a golden opportunity as when Raven formed the barrier and sent it after Robin, it left herself open to attack. He had only a few seconds before she would notice him and she was in his sight. But he hesitated, he could not bring himself to shoot her in the back. So with an irritated groan, he deactivated his sonic cannon and rushed into close combat with her. He was about to catch her in a tight hug, but she suddenly teleported away.

"You know I hate hugs" Raven stated sarcastically from behind. She sent several dark tendrils from her fingertips that ensnared Cyborg and hoisted him high up in the air.

"Hey, let go of me!" he angrily demanded. But when he saw the slightly amused glint in Raven's left eye, he knew that he should have probably not said that.

"If you insist" she said nonchalantly as she dispelled the tendrils, letting Cyborg tumble to the roof from several yards up in the air. Just then Starfire came flying at her with Robin holding onto her arms.

"Starfire, now!" he shouted and Starfire stopped in the air and swung Robin around to give him momentum before throwing him like projectile at Raven. She herself was too stunned by such a move that the thought of moving out of his trajectory path came to her too late as Robin forcefully tackled her to the ground. He was quick to pin her arms above her head as he glared down on her.

"We don't have to do this! Don't make us do it!" he nearly shouted at her. Raven glared back up at him, her right eye glowing stronger as her anger grew.

"It's far too late for words now, bird boy!" Raven stated, hissing out the last part. Before Robin could do anything else, he was seized from behind by a black talon that threw him back to smash straight into Cyborg who was just getting back up on his feet. Raven was quick to get back up again but was instantly pelted by starbolts from Starfire, forcing her to erect a barrier above her head to protect herself. Though in truth she had not need to, since Starfire had actually never really aimed any of those starbolts directly at Raven, just at the ground around her. But while Raven was distracted, Beast boy came up from behind and morphed into an octopus. Raven only detected the danger when she felt a shadow over herself.

"What the…" she began to say before Beast boy ensnared her in his tentacles. She was held immobile in the air, for about five seconds before she unleashed a shockwave of dark energy from her body, knocking both Beast boy and Starfire back while she safely landed on the ground. But Cyborg was once again up on his feet and with a war cry on his lips, he leaped at Raven with his right fist drawn back and ready to deliver a painful blow. Instead of dodging or teleporting out of the way, Raven stood her ground and raised her left hand, as if she was going to catch Cyborg's fist with it. Raven encased it in dark energy just as Cyborg thrust his fist forward. And Raven actually caught it, though she was pushed back several feet from the strength and momentum behind the blow. Raven had to bit together to prevent a cry of pain from escaping her lips as she felt the strength of the blow travel down her arm with almost bone-shattering force. If it were not for her powers, Raven was certain that that blow would have dropped her in a second.

"Whoa…" Cyborg said in shock as he stared at his massive fist clutched in Raven's small and delicate one. Raven tightened her grip while glaring at Cyborg with hate filled eyes. She was no weakling you could just beat down with one punch, not anymore.

"My turn" she sneered at him as she brought her other energy encased fist straight into his gut. It was not strong enough to send him flying back, but it did manage to bring Cyborg to his knees in pain. But Raven had no time to celebrate that small victory as without warning, Robin came at her and delivered a fist into her face, another one in her chest, a kick in the gut and finally a sweeping kick at her legs; all in a matter of seconds. Raven went down like a sack of potatoes. Robin brought out his boo staff and pressed it against Raven's chest, forcing her to stay down on the ground.

"It's over" he said, his voice cold as ice in order to mask his conflicting emotions.

"_**That's where this mortal is sorely mistaken. Show him what you can do, Raven!" **_Mal'Bolough said gleefully inside her mindscape. Instantly her body was bathed in Mal'Bolough's dark magic, healing battered muscle and rejuvenating her exhausted body. Robin knew that something was wrong when he saw some kind of dark aura envelop Raven's body and the number 8 disappearing to be replaced by a new number; 7. In the blink of an eye, Raven materialized several black blades and shredded Robin's boo staff into dozens of pieces. As he stared in surprise at the stump clutched in his hand, Raven sent out a dark tendril from the crystal and snared it around Robin's throat. He was roughly hoisted into the air and then smashed back into the ground. The tendril dissolved after that and Raven once again got back up on her feet only to face off against Beast boy morphed into a lion. Starfire soon hovered behind Raven and Cyborg was slowly trying to get back up again.

"It seems this fight is far from over" Raven remarked mostly to herself as both her hands became encased in dark energy and an almost black-like wind began blowing around Raven.

…..

"I got you now!" Iron Mask shouted triumphantly as his crows encircled Doctor Fate yet again, obscuring him from view. But without warning, the Egyptian Ankh hieroglyph appeared behind Iron Mask and Doctor Fate materialized there. Iron Mask did not realize it until a spear of golden light pierced his chest.

"You might want to rethink that statement" Doctor Fate observed as he fired off a blast of golden energy into Iron Mask, sending him tumbling off the building. But he simply dissolved into a swarm of crows and flew right back up again where he reformed himself again.

"Ten years since our last _bataille_ and you still haven't learned any new tricks" Iron Mask casually criticized, right before his crows formed a hurricane of beaks and feathers around Iron Mask.

"As you will soon find out, I haven't been so lazy" he stated as the crow hurricane began moving closer towards Doctor Fate. He fired off several beams of golden light into the swarm, killing dozens every time but those losses were quickly replaced by new crows. Doctor Fate formed a massive barrier of golden energy to stop them, but they just spilled around its edges. At some unspoken command, the crows suddenly surged forwards with one single goal; devour Doctor Fate. He once again created a dome that burned anything it touched to ashes. But just as the crows were about to collide with the dome, they split up and flew past it. Instead, Iron Mask jumped out of the swarm straight into the dome. He crashed through it like a human torch and quickly ran up and embraced Doctor Fate in a burning hug seconds before he burned to ashes. Doctor Fate temporarily lost focus as his own clothes had caught fire. He was quick to extinguish them with a spell, but now the dome was no longer active, and the crows were still surrounding him. They were soon upon him yet again, burying him under a carpet of crows. One massive blast of golden light later and the carpet of crows were gone, leaving only a winded and wounded Doctor Light in its wake. His clothes were torn from the hundreds of beaks and talons that had assaulted him and he was bleeding from a good number of shallow cuts all over his body.

"Never saw that one coming, _avez-vous_?" Iron Mask asked amusedly, clearly enjoying this fight. Doctor Fate glared hatefully at him but could not help but blame himself. He had temporarily forgotten who he was dealing with. You could not set up some dangerous obstacle in his path and think you are safe hiding behind it, Iron Mask would simply walk right through it without regard for his own safety.

"You're still as mad as you've always been, you monster" Doctor Fate calmly remarked. And for the first time in decades, Iron Mask did not laugh or ignore the jab, but instead gazed at Doctor Fate. His face may have been hidden from the world by the iron mask he wore, but that single gaze held more emotions to it than any face could; anger, rage, despair, loathing, madness, indifference, pain. All cramped into that single gaze.

"_Immortalité_ will drive any sane man into madness, _Docteur_ Fate" he said with a voice weighted down by centuries of living in darkness and insanity. But as a brief summer breeze, those momentary emotions were washed away and Iron Mask was back to his usual sadistic self. He pointed a single finger at Doctor Fate and his crows once again surged forward at his command. And as Doctor Fate made himself ready for the onslaught, Iron Mask's maniacal laughter rang out.

…..

"Azerath Metrion Zinthos!" Raven chanted as she fired off ten bolts of dark energy from her fingertips, all of them heading towards Beast boy. He morphed himself into a snake and slithered around the bolts as they impacted. Starfire suddenly came up from behind Raven and grabbed both her arms behind her back.

"Please Raven, I do not wish to fight you any further" she pleaded with her, but Raven was deaf to her pleas. Her daemon blood was boiling, it demanded more blood, and Raven was not about to deny it.

"You should have thought of that before raising arms against me" Raven snarled out in contempt, her earlier hesitancy to hurt the Titans washing away like words written in sand. As the fight had dragged on, Raven had felt her sadness and guilt disappear. All that was left for the Titans was an unquenchable hatred towards them. She suddenly went up in black smoke and reappeared behind Starfire, delivering an energy encased fist into Starfire's spine and sending her flying forward. Raven's senses alerted her just in time to bring up a barrier to her left, which Beast boy ran headfirst into as a ram. The force behind it actually cracked her barrier, but Beast boy was highly disoriented from the hit and could not focus on staying as a ram, so he barreled straight into Raven in his human form. They both ended up in a heap of limbs on the ground, with Beast boy on top of Raven. Before Beast boy could even recover, he was sent into the air by a blast of dark energy from Raven. She quickly scrambled up, face beat red from anger and embarrassment over that Beast boy had landed on top of her. A few seconds later he came crashing into the ground next to her, hard.

"Sorry about this, Rae" Cyborg said from behind her before firing his sonic cannon into her back. Before Raven crashed to the ground from the unexpected, and quite painful, attack, she used her powers to levitate and gently lower herself to the ground. She straightened herself up first before calmly turning around to face Cyborg who still had his sonic cannon raised. Raven may have appeared calm and collected, but her right eye betrayed her true feelings. It was nearly aflame with unbridled hatred.

"Took you long enough to work up the guts to finally shoot me. Though I must say, that did not feel like it was fired at full power, so you must still be holding back. You must obviously think that you don't need to use your full power against me" Raven casually remarked, sounding completely untroubled. But Cyborg was not easily fooled and he steeled himself for the inevitable counterattack.

"Well, let me give you one piece of advice…" Raven calmly began before suddenly vanishing. Cyborg's human eye widened in shock and he frantically looked in every direction, trying to locate her.

"… DON'T UNDERESTIMATE ME!" she suddenly roared from above. He looked up in panic seconds before a black fist the size of a car descended right on top of him. When it dissipated, Cyborg was lying in a shallow crater while sparks of electricity leaked from damaged circuitry. Starfire was quick to come to his rescue by coming straight at Raven. She in turn formed a black barrier to protect herself, but Starfire smashed through it like glass. Raven was pushed back by the shockwave created by her barrier shattering and formed a second one, Starfire smashed through that one too. Raven was pushed back even farther as she tried a third time with the same result.

"_**That alien seems to be stronger than I first anticipated. I guess a higher dose is in order" **_Mal'Bolough mused mostly to himself as he pumped even more of his power into Raven. This time however, it did not feel as rejuvenating as it had felt before; now it was starting to feel painful to her, though not so bad that she could not stand it. Raven gritted her teeth in pain as her veins grew more visible. The black aura around her intensified to the point that it almost looked like black flames surrounded her body. Starfire stopped in terror as she stared at Raven's eyes, which were both glowing an infernal red now, and the new number on her chest; 6.

"You shouldn't have stopped your attack" Raven said with a strained voice before slowly raising her hand toward Starfire. Black energy began to be sucked into the palm of the outstretched hand and a sphere of pure darkness began to form. Though it looked like it was taking its toll on Raven as sweat formed on her brow and her muscles gave slight twitches a few times.

"After all, it will only give your opponent a chance to recover and make an attack of his own" she stated just as she unleashed her attack. The sphere speeded towards Starfire, who barely managed to dodge the sphere. But she was still violently knocked back by the shockwave created when it passed through the air. Starfire stared at the sphere in shock as it disappeared into the horizon, thankfully out into the sea. It had not even hit her and yet Starfire had felt as if a car had rammed into her from the pressure alone.

"If that thing had hit me…" Starfire said fearfully, not even daring to utter the end of that sentence. But without warning, she felt a strong and cold hand clamp around her neck.

"What are you looking at, you idiot!" Raven snarled in rage at Starfire from behind, her right hand clutching Starfire's throat from behind. Raven suddenly dived straight towards the roof of Titans Tower with Starfire held in front of her. The two of them smashed into the roof with a loud crash, throwing up dust and debris everywhere. After several heartbeats, Raven was the only one who staggered out of that crater. She was clutching her head tightly while letting out animalistic hisses and grunts, obviously she was in great pain from the excessive energy Mal'Bolough was giving her. But she was given no respite, as Robin came and delivered a kick into Raven's side. She easily went down from that attack as her body was reaching its limits fast. She lay still for a while, drawing in deep and ragged breaths. Robin too looked quite beat up, but at least he could still stand up. But as she lay on the roof, Raven drew upon her hatred to keep fighting. She would not give up, she would never give up. The Teen Titans had betrayed her, and she would never surrender to them. So Raven began to slowly and quite unsteadily crawl back up on her feet. Robin stared at her efforts with a mixture of surprise and despair.

"Don't do this Raven. You've lost already, don't make this harder than it already is" Robin pleaded with her. He did not want to beat her up any further, and he doubted that any of the others wanted to either. But Raven ignored him and just kept getting back up ever so slowly.

"Please, just give up" Robin said desperately just as Raven managed to stand up on her legs. She stumbled a little but still managed to remain standing. She fixated Robin with her blood glowing eyes, pouring all her hate and malicious intent into that glare.

"Never! I'll never give up to the likes of you!" Raven shouted at him, but it was a hollow promise. It was obvious to everyone that Raven was on her last legs. But she still had one last card to play.

"I swear to you, no matter what happens… **YOU'LL NEVER BEAT ME!**" Raven roared out, her voice growing deeper and more daemonic at the end. Without a single thought of her own well-being, she drew on even more of Mal'Bolough's power, with shocking results. The very air around her exploded with dark energy, cracking the roof and blasting away everything that was not bolted to the ground. Robin was nearly pushed off the roof, but thankfully he managed to stop himself in time, though it was a hard struggle since it felt like he was caught in a hurricane.

"_**Raven, stop this now! You're already past your limits!" **_Mal'Bolough desperately tried to reason with her, but Raven did not care at this moment. Rage had overcome her and she was going to level this place to the ground. Her teeth grew to fangs, nails became claws and the number 6 disappeared, to be replaced by a new number; 4. A pillar of dark energy formed around Raven and shot up into the air with a thunderous boom while Raven roared like a raging monster. Most of the other Titans were getting back up on their feet, but what they saw made them wish that they had simply stayed down.

"Any more bright ideas, Robin?" Beast boy asked from where he was laying. Robin never took his eyes off Raven, who was still roaring in pain and anger.

"Yeah, try to survive this" he said over his shoulder. The others could well enough see the wisdom behind that as Raven began to slowly advance towards them, a murderous glint in her eyes.

…..

Both Doctor Fate and Iron Mask stopped their battle when the massive amount of dark magic poured over both of them and a pillar of pure darkness appeared in the sky. Doctor Fate stared at the phenomenon in trepidation, only imagining what malicious power that could be behind this. Iron Mask on the other hand stared at it with satisfaction.

"It _commence_ at last. A raven's fall from _grâce_ and into _damnation_" he said solemnly. Doctor Fate whipped his head around with an accusatory glare at Iron Mask.

"So that's your game. You never wanted to defeat me in battle here, you just wanted to keep me away from Titans Tower long enough for whatever is going on there to happen" he accused, to which Iron Mask laughed lightheartedly.

"_Exactement_, _mon vieil ami_. And now, if you'll _excuse_ me, I have a very _urgent_ matter to attend to" he said while giving a formal bow. He then turned around and nonchalantly walked away. Doctor Fate was completely flabbergasted by that move, but he did not remain it for long as he quickly formed a golden barrier in front of Iron Mask.

"What makes you think that I'll let you walk away?" he asked harshly. Iron Mask said nothing, did not even move a muscle. It was as if he had entered a world of his own. But suddenly he dissolved into crows and disappeared. The moment he was gone, a green barrier appeared out of nowhere, trapping Doctor Fate on the roof.

"What makes you think that you can stop me?" Iron Mask asked back as he reformed on an adjacent rooftop.

"I'm sure you'll break this _barrière_ eventually, it was never meant to contain someone of your _calibre_. But by the time you're free, we'll be long gone" he added as he turned around and began walking away.

"This isn't over, Iron Mask! No matter what, I will stop you!" Doctor Fate shouted in anger. Iron Mask temporarily stopped to look over his shoulder.

"Face it, you've already lost. It doesn't matter if you _défaite_ me, you can't stop what's coming" he stated calmly and with conviction before he dissolved into a swarm of crows and flew away, towards Titans Tower.

…..

The Titans stood arrayed on the rooftop, trying desperately to stay on their feet as the wind raged around them. Ahead of them, Raven slowly approached them in a staggering and zombie-like way. Her eyes were shining blindingly red, overflown with rage. The number 4 blazing on her chest. But Raven was already past her limits, her body was taking heavy damage from the energy being forcefully pumped through it. Mal'Bolugh had already tried several times to reason with her, but she had been overcome by her daemonic impulses. The hate and anger had boiled over and Raven had lost all self-control, becoming nothing more than a raving monster on the hunt for blood. Her massive impulse to rend and tear was so great that not even Mal'Bolough could suppress it this time. At least he managed to prevent Raven from drawing any more of his magic into her body than she had already done. Beast boy tried to come closer towards her, but the gale was too strong.

"C'mon Raven, snap out of it! We're your friends!" he shouted over the roar of the wind.

"**I HAVE NO FRIENDS!" **was the answer he received from Raven's tortured throat as her power escalated, causing bursts of dark energy to explode from her in every direction. The roof cracked and heaved under the pressure Raven's power was applying to it.

"If she keeps this up, she's gonna level the whole tower!" Cyborg shouted in order to be heard. Robin barely acknowledged what he said, he was too busy thinking of something to prevent this from getting worse than it already was. Salvation came in the last form that the Titans ever could have hoped for. A swarm of crows descended from the skies and surrounded Raven and like a beast that finds itself cornered, she lashed out. She fired off dozens of energy bolts, sent out hundreds of tendrils and started flinging around anything that was not bolted to the ground with her powers. But as Raven kept wildly striking out at anything close to her, Iron Mask reformed his body right behind her. Before she could even react to his presence, he had rushed up and embraced her in a tight grip that pinned her arms to her sides.

"I think that's enough mayhem and _destruction_ for you _aujourd'hui_" he said in a parental tone, as if he was telling a little kid that he has played enough with her friends and must go home now.

"**LET GO OFF ME! I WILL DESTROY YOU!" **she shrieked while she trashed like a wild animal in his grip, trying to hit him with her powers. But in her current state, she had no focus to even land a grazing hit on him. All she could do was blast away with everything she had on anything she could. Her power raged like a hurricane around the two of them, but Iron Mask did not let go; not even as all his crows were shredded.

"_Oui_, _c'est tout_ Raven! let it all out! All the anger, all the _peine_, all the hatred! Hold nothing back!" he urged her on. He knew himself from past experience that when you fall this deep into your daemonic self, there was no way to snap you out of it. The only way was to wear it out, to let out all the memories and emotions that caused you to snap. She seemed to take his words to heart, since the turbulence increased around them. Raven had stopped struggling in his grip, but he held on nonetheless. There was always practical to have something anchoring you to the real world when going through things like these. Iron Mask could hear sniveling sounds coming from Raven, who had her head lowered. She was doing what Iron Mask had told her to do; she was too weak in her mind for the moment to resist. She drew out all of the emotions she was feeling, letting them wash over and spill out of her. Raven started to cry, but her daemon eyes did not shed tears of water, but tears of blood.

"Do it!" Iron Mask said encouragingly, and she did it. She threw her head back and screamed in anguish, her power cascading until it exploded like a shockwave across the rooftop. It threw all of the Titans flat on the roof. When it finally cleared, Raven had gone limb in Iron Mask's arms, passed out from the strain on her body. He gently picked her up bridal style and was about to walk away when Robin staggered to his feet.

"Just where do you think you're taking her?" he asked harshly as he pulled out a pair of birdarangs. Iron Mask turned around to face Robin, giving a cold look.

"Where I take her is no longer any of your concern. As she so blatantly made it clear to you, she's no longer a _membre_ of the Teen Titans nor is she your friend anymore" he stated in a matter-of-factly tone. Robin gave him a threatening growl in response.

"It's because of you! All of this is because of you! I don't know what you did to her, but the Raven I knew would never do this!" he angrily shouted. Iron Mask slowly shook his head.

"What I did was _aider_ her. I showed her ways to greater _pouvoir_ than she could ever get with your kind. And it was my _plaisir_ to help her achieve this. After all, we _monstres_ got to stick together in this _cruel_ world" Iron Mask answered in an amused tone. Robin looked more than ready to throttle Iron Mask then.

"Don't you dare compare Raven to yourself! She's a hero, not a monster like you!" he shouted, anger shining in his eyes. But Iron Mask was not by any means intimidated, he just gave a humorless laugh.

"Not a _monstre_ like me you say? Tell me, do you know who it was that _actuellement_ killed Alexander Cole?" he asked amusedly. Robin did not even answer that question, he just glared even harder at Iron Mask.

"Then let me tell you; it was Raven. She emptied two entire clips into him and smiled the whole time. Though it took a while for her to work up the _courage_ to do it. But once she _commencé_, she didn't stop until Alexander was but a smear on the sidewalk" Iron Mask revealed. Robin's eyes widened in shock and surprise. It was not true what he said, it could not be. Robin would not believe it. He narrowed his eyes at Iron Mask, hate plain on his face.

"You're lying!" he snarled at him. Iron Mask just gave a light laugh at his comment.

"Trust me; there's no need for me to lie. And by the way, you should not _blâmer_ this solely on me; you're partially _responsable_ too. You could have stopped this long before now. The _signes_ were there all this time, yet you chose to disregard them. Why? Because you live in a world of black and white; if the _signes_ were true, that would mean that Raven was becoming what you _combattu_ against, and that would _automatiquement_ make her your _ennemi_. But you could not stand the thought of losing a friend in such a _manière_, so you tried to play _nice _and hoped it would go away on its own. Only now, when it was far too late, did you act" Iron Mask explained smugly. Robin was practically boiling in anger, but was also close to drowning in despair. Iron Mask's words had struck a very sensitive nerve. Robin wanted to just ignore his words, but they rang of truth; he could have stopped this before. He could have handled the exchange instead of Raven, he could have stopped her from going to the docks to face Iron Mask. Heck, he could have taken the crystal the moment he smelled trouble in the air. A new sound on the winds snapped Robin out of his self-loathing; the sound of a helicopter approaching. Not long after registering the sound, Robin was washed with winds from a helicopter hovering at the edge of Titans Tower, right behind Iron Mask.

"This is where we part ways again, _mon ami_! And don't you worry about Raven, she'll be much better off in my care than she ever was in your!" Iron Mask shouted over the wind before turning around and leaping onboard the helicopter.

"We're all aboard, Hunter! Let us be off" he shouted to the cockpit. The Hunter gave a nod of affirmation as he steered the helicopter away from Titans Tower and back towards Jump City. Robin could do nothing but stare helplessly as it slowly shrank away on the horizon. Finally losing his strength, he collapsed to his knees. He felt like crying, but he did not. He had not cried since his parents died, and he would not do it now. So he just sat there, staring dumbly at the city, for there was nothing else to do.

…..

The Teen Titans were assembled in the living room, their physical wounds tended to already. They sat together at the dinner table, but each one alone in their own thoughts. The events of this day were still weighing heavily on their souls, they could still not grasp it that Raven was gone, that she had abandoned them for the sake of power. Cyborg just sat in his chair silently, a distant look in his eyes. Raven had been like a little sister to him, and the mere thought that Iron Mask had her made him sick. But there was nothing he could do but sit and do exactly nothing. Beast boy was taking it seriously hard. He had seen the look in her eye when he had pleaded with her to trust them; she had not wanted to fight them, but she must have thought that there was no other alternative. _Not that I can blame her, _he thought grimly as he cast a sour look at Robin. Where on Earth he had come up with the idea to ambush and sedate Raven Beast boy never wanted to know, it just felt so wrong against Raven. Starfire was too in deep mourning, yet she tried to think of something to sheer her friends up with. But seeing their downcast looks, it was obvious that she was wasting her time. Besides, she was not in a much better mood herself. Her ability to fly was controlled by happy thoughts and right now she could barely hover a few inches off the ground. Robin meanwhile was sitting in even deeper thoughts than his friends. He kept replaying his discussion with Iron Mask over and over in his head

"_Then let me tell you; it was Raven. She emptied two entire clips into him and smiled the whole time" _that line was the most prominent, it was like a splinter in his brain that would not go away. He cast a quick look at his friends, eyes full of sorrow. He had not told them the truth about what Raven had done, that was the last thing they needed to hear now of all times. Another friend was taken from them, and she had already traveled far on the path of damnation; maybe too far for her to turn back now.

"Why must this happen to us again?" he whispered quietly. It was then that all the Titans were snatched out of their brooding thoughts with the appearance of the Egyptian Ankh hieroglyph right in their living. Not long after, Doctor Fate appeared in a flash of light. The Titans were instantly on high alert, but they relaxed slightly when they recognized who it was.

"Doctor Fate? What brings you here?" Robin asked curiously.

"I come here on urgent matters. There has been a great upheaval of dark magic in your city. Perhaps you're familiar with it already?" Doctor Fate inquired. The downcast looks he received spoke more than mere words.

"Very well, I'm here to put a stop to it. I believe that we need to exchange information concerning this threat" Doctor Fate went on to explain, but suddenly it seemed as if he just noticed something as he looked around the room in confusion.

"Shouldn't there be five of you? Where's Raven?" he asked. Once again he received several downcast looks, but this time they carried more sorrow than last time.

"She's gone" Robin finally said. No further words were needed, Doctor Fate had heard all that he needed. He knew full well what they meant with "gone".

"So I am too late then" he stated solemnly. There was silence for a while after that but eventually Robin spoke up.

"Do you know exactly what we're up against?" he asked urgently.

"Yes" Doctor Fate answered.

"Then tell us everything about it now. Our friend's life is at stake and we need to know" Robin stated. He swore then and there that they would get Raven back, no matter what. He did not even need to voice his vow since he knew without a doubt that the other Titans were behind. If Iron Mask thought that he had won, then he was in for a surprise.

…..

When Raven regained consciousness, she found herself lying in an old bed, a blanket drawn over her and her surroundings completely unknown to her. She was in some sort of room made of old wood with a single door that had seen better days. There was single light bulb hanging from the roof, a wardrobe at the foot of the bed where her cloak and belt was hung upon and a bedside table next to her. If Raven had to guess, she would say that she was in some sort of abandoned building; the slightly moldy planks that made up the room speaking volumes of how well cared of the building was. Raven slowly sat up in the bed as she tried to remember how the hell she had gotten here, only to come up blank. But the last memories she had hit her like a brick wall. She had let her hatred get the better of her in the battle and she had lost control of herself. Raven felt like beating herself or something similar. How could she have been so stupid to lose control so easily? It could have cost her life if she had not regained control in time. But it was then that she remembered how she had gotten back control; Iron Mask had helped her. Why would he do something like that? This was the second time Iron Mask had helped her, and Raven was starting to get suspicious as to what he was after. She was sure as hell going to squeeze the truth out of him next time they met. As if on cue, the door to her room opened and Iron Mask stepped in with a tray of food in his hands.

"Ahh, I see that you're awake now. _Bien_. We were getting a little _anxieux_ there for a while" he said cheerfully. Raven just stared at him suspiciously. _At least she's not glaring hatefully at me anymore,_ Iron Mask thought to himself.

"You don't need to fear me, if that's what you're _demande_. I _figuré_ you might be hungry after your _escapades_, so I brought you something to eat" he explained as he sat the tray down on the bedside table. Raven looked at the food presented before her; a plate of oysters. The look on Raven's face at that time was impossible to describe with human words.

"What is this?" she asked, as if she had just been served a nuclear bomb.

"_La meilleur de la cuisine française" _Iron Mask answered with great pride. Raven instantly had a skeptical look on her face.

"Come on, now! Don't be so _maudit_ suspicious all the time! _Je veux dire_, it's not like they're poisoned or something! And besides, I swam to the bottom of the _baie_ to pick those for you!" he irritably exclaimed, not liking that his food preference was so easily rejected. Raven raised an eyebrow at that.

"There are no oysters in the bay" she deadpanned. Iron Mask just grumbled while crossing his arms over his chest.

"And here I was trying to _impressionner_ you with my dedication! Couldn't you just have played along and pretended there were oysters in the _baie_?" he asked her. She did not even crack a smile at his attempted joke. Iron Mask in turn dropped whatever form of goofy attitude he temporarily had and immediately became more serious.

"I'm guessing that you have many _questions_ right now, am I right?" he asked. Raven gave a slight nod as she kept her piercing gaze upon him.

"Chief among those are; where am I and why did you help me?" Raven asked suspiciously.

"To answer your first question; you are in my _temporaire_ home here in Jump City, at the outskirts of the city. Far away from Titans Tower if you're wondering" Iron Mask explained before pausing, cupping his chin in his left hand in a thoughtful gesture.

"As to why I _aidé_ you, it's quite _simple_; we're of the same kind. We're both half-_démons_, feared and shunned by _société_. Though I guess you managed to _obtenir_ some form of _acceptation_ from them due to your _servitude_ to the Teen Titans. As I see it, I simply _aidé_ a kin when she was in _trouble_" he continued after a while. Raven lowered her gaze when he had finished explaining, mulling over the information she had just received and deciding whether he could be trusted or not.

"But now I would like to ask you a _question_; what will you do now? The Titans have turned against you and you're no doubt a _fugitif_ now, so what is your next move?" Iron Mask suddenly inquired of her. It caught Raven by surprise and left her at a loss of words, plainly visible by her slightly open mouth and her wide and confused eyes, or rather eye since her right showed nothing but blood red light.

"I-I don't know" she admitted. What could she possibly do? The Titans would no doubt be coming after her, so the most logical choice would be to turn tail and flee. Live to fight another day, as they say. But the mere thought of fleeing made Raven's blood boil. Jump City was as close as she could get to a home. Not to mention the Titans had betrayed her, stabbed her in the back. Why? Because they feared her power, that was the only thing that was logical to Raven. There was no way in hell she was going to flee from her former friends. If they wanted to take her on again, then let them come.

"But one thing I know; I will stay here in Jump City, and I will make the Titans regret betraying me!" Raven said hatefully, her right eye swelling with pure malice. Behind his mask, Iron Mask smiled a sinister smile. _Here goes nothing, _he thought.

"You do know all too well that you would not be the _première_; Slade, the HIVE five, Brother Blood, Puppet King, Warp, Johnny Rancid, Trident, Mad Mod. They have all tried and failed to _défaite_ the Titans. Hate to break it to you, but the odds are stacked against you" he said. Raven turned her attention to him again, a quizzical eyebrow raised.

"And your point with this is?" she asked with a hint of a threatening tone. Iron Mask gave a slight chuckle.

"There is strength in _numéros_ you know. So I'm giving you an _offrir_; join us, and we can help you achieve your _objectifs_" he offered. Raven narrowed her eyes in suspicion, giving off waves of killer intent as well.

"So I'll be your little thrall for you to order around? No thanks" she stated aggressively. Iron Mask gave an amused laughter at that, shaking his head slightly. Raven looked at him in confusion.

"You misunderstand here. You will not be a _serviteur_, you will be the _patron_. I'm offering my _services_ to you" Iron Mask explained as he gave a slight bow. Raven was beyond confused now. Had her enemy just offered his services to her? He must be truly insane if he thought she would accept. But she could not help but imagine the possibilities. For the first time in her life, no one would tell her what to do. Instead she would be telling others what to do. The prospect was more than tempting. It was irresistible.

"Come on, don't tell me you don't find the thought appealing to you. No longer would you take _ordres_, but you would give _ordres_" Iron Mask continued, as if he was validating her own thoughts. Raven could not deny it; this was a golden opportunity she could not pass up on, Mal'Bolough agreeing so too. It took her only a few more minutes to make her decision.

"What kind of manpower do we have at the moment?" Raven asked her new second in command.

"Very _limité_ I'm afraid. There's only me, the Hunter and a handful of lowlife mercs. And we're quite _limité_ in terms of weapons and _équipement_ too" Iron Mask replied. Raven nodded as she slowly got out of the bed and put on her boots.

"Then our first priority is to increase our own strength. We can't risk going up against the Titans in our current state" she said as she strapped on her cloak and belt. Raven was about to walk out of the room when Iron Mask held up a hand.

"If I may; there's one thing we should do before moving on" he explained before quickly exiting the room, leaving a puzzled Raven in his wake. He returned seconds later, holding a bottle of champagne in one hand and two glasses in the other. At the sight of those things, Raven could not help but smile somewhat.

"You do know I'm a minor" she stated humorlessly. Iron Mask laughed at that statement.

"Come on Raven. After all you've done and been through, would taking a glass of _champagne_ really be that hard of a _crime_ for you to _commettre_?" he asked her sarcastically. Raven shook her head while giving a small chuckle.

"When you put it like that" she said as she accepted one of the glasses. Iron Mask deftly balanced both his own glass and the champagne bottle as he popped it open. He first poured a good amount to Raven before pouring some to himself and then placing the bottle on the bedside table. They both raised their glasses.

"A toast to you, _mon patron" _Iron Mask said as their glasses met with a light clang. Both of them then brought the glasses to their lips, or in Iron Mask's case the slit that served as his mask's mouth, to lightly sip on the champagne. Raven let a contented smile graze her lips as the alcoholic brew traveled down her throat while her eyes were closed.

"_Mon patron…"_ she said mostly to herself, seemingly tasting the word on her tongue.

"… I like the sound of that" she said as she opened her eyes again to gaze at Iron Mask. They both fell into a comfortable silence after that, simply enjoying the drink and planning for the future.


	21. Chapter 21: The end part 1

Titans Tower

Two weeks later

Two weeks. Two whole damn weeks, and still no sign of Raven whatsoever. The lack of results was making the Teen Titans uneasy. There was that small fear brewing that the reason they did not find her was because there was nothing left to find. That thought only made them work even harder to prove it false. But at the same time, there was also the fear of what would happen when they found her. Judging from how they parted ways last time, none of them expected it to be a tearful reunion. Well maybe tearful in the form of tears of pain. Currently, Robin was searching for any leads concerning her location using the main computer, Beast boy was out searching in the city as a bloodhound along with Cyborg and Starfire. Robin's face had currently a look of deep concentration etched into it as he scanned an endless line of information scrolling past the screen. He was vaguely aware of the door to the living room opening and closing.

"You should take a break. You've been seated here since dawn and you've found nothing of importance" Doctor Fate said from behind. Ever since Raven disappeared, Doctor Fate had practically moved into Titans Tower. He assured the Titans that once this crisis had abated he would return home. Robin on his part had more than welcomed Doctor Fate since his knowledge on what had happened to Raven was invaluable to them.

"I can't, the others are still searching. I can't just take a break while they're still working" Robin said without even turning around. Doctor Fate just sighed. He could easily see that the Titans were connected by a strong bond and they would never abandon a friend, even when the friend turned her back to them. But that mindset could prove hazardous in the near future.

"Robin, I hold great respect for your ability to lead this team and for your commitment to help Raven in this crisis. But you must see the truth; even if you find her, she will no longer be the friend that you remembered, she will be the very thing you struggle to defeat every day" he advised. Robin finally stopped looking at the screen and diverted his gaze to Doctor Fate.

"What's your point?" he asked harshly. This was not the first time they had this discussion and it was really aggravating Robin. They both stared at each other for several moments before Doctor Fate answered.

"That Raven is a lost cause" he simply said.

…..

Standing in a now pretty much wrecked room, Raven observed the damage she had caused this time; the walls were covered with claw- and blademarks, the pillars were all reduced to rubble, the floor was full of cracks and craters and the roof had a huge hole in it. Luckily no one had been on the upper floor. Clapping sounds from behind alerted Raven of her one man audience.

"_Impressionnant_. You're improving on your skills" Iron Mask casually remarked from where he was standing at the door. Raven just stared off into space, her right eye glowing stronger.

"I just hope it will be enough to crush the Titans" she said mostly to herself. A second later she snapped back to reality and turned around to walk over to Iron Mask.

"Are they ready?" Raven asked. Iron Mask gave a slight nod as the two of them began walking down an old castle hallway.

"They're already waiting for your _ordres_" he answered. As he said those words, Raven felt a small rush of adrenaline, though she looked completely impassive on the outside. They were actually waiting for her orders, _her _orders. Raven had been told what to do for most of her life but now she was in command and it felt so liberating. The two of them soon entered another room, this one with a table set up in the middle with a map of Jump city spread out on it. There were already several other people in the room, though it was only one in the room who she recognized; the Hunter. The rest were mercenaries, and Raven had not even bothered to socialize with them. The room grew deathly quiet as Raven entered, she could also feel a few hateful glares being directed at her. There were a few of the mercenaries who did not like the idea of taking orders from a Teen Titan, even if she had supposedly quit the team.

"Alright listen up! I'm only going to say this once so pay attention!" Raven roughly said as she stood in front of the map.

"At 10 pm there will be a shipment of gold moving out of town from here" she said while indicating a bank downtown.

"It will be transported in an armored truck and travelling with a small convoy. The convoy will travel along the main highway up until here" she continued while pointing at a junction six blocks away from the bank.

"They will then be travelling along 32th all the way out of the city" she went on to explain as one finger traced the mentioned route.

"Now, your task will be to cut them off here" she indicated a spot about halfway along the 32th.

"Your job will be fairly simple; ambush them, knock out any guards trying to stop you, steal the truck and get the hell out of there before back-up arrives" she concluded. It was at that moment that one of the mercenaries decided to speak out.

"10 pm? That's only four hours away. Isn't this a little too rushed plan?" he inquired. Raven slowly turned her gaze towards him, directing all her killer intent at him.

"Are you questioning me?" she asked sweetly, all the while keeping him paralyzed in fear with her right eye that was nearly aflame with hellfire. Several mercenaries who stood close to the unfortunate one took several steps away from him, more worried about their own hide than that of their comrade. The man in question was now shaking with fear and a wet spot had appeared between his legs. His power to speak had been snatched away by his overwhelming fear, but he managed to rapidly shake his head as if his life depended on it, which it probably did. Iron Mask had had a field day last week telling the mercenaries of how Raven had killed Alexander Cole. Satisfied with the answer, Raven turned her focus elsewhere. The mercenary let out the most relieved sigh in his life that he was back in the safe zone.

"Any other questions?" she asked. At first she thought no one would speak after her handling of the last one who questioned her, but as it turned out there was one who dared to speak.

"Ma'am, what if the Titans show up?" he asked fearfully. None of them in the room was particularly fond of the idea of going up against them. In response, Raven gave a truly wicked grin that sent more than one chill up everyone's spine, apart from Iron Mask.

"Oh, don't you worry about the Titans. I have something special planned out for them" she said with a sinister tone. No other questions or objections were raised after that so Raven dismissed them. They all began shuffling out the door with Iron Mask in the rear.

"Iron Mask, I need to talk to you" Raven suddenly said just as he was about to exit the room. He turned around to find Raven still standing leaned over the map. He gave a nod as he stepped back inside while closing the door behind him. He quickly walked over to stand opposite of Raven.

"So, I take it you're going to tell me what your real _plan_ is, _correct_?" Iron Mask asked. Raven gave a small chuckle at his question.

"Should have figured that you of all people would notice. Yes, the gold theft is not my real plan, that was just something to keep the boys happy. My real plan is far more… personal, you could say" she explained. Iron Mask crossed his arms over his chest as he regarded Raven.

"Well then, what _rôle_ do I play in this plan of yours" he asked. Raven once again gave him one of those smiles that just screamed that someone would curse ever getting out of bed today.

…..

The hospital was one of the few buildings that never closed for the night, though its patients never cared for if it was open or closed, they slept just as peacefully. But one patient did not find any peace to sleep in her isolated room with guards just outside the door. Why they even bothered with those guards, Jinx would never understand. After all, it was not like she was in any position to make a grand escape with both her legs and arms in plaster. The nurses had given her sedative to help her sleep and had the lights turned off, but even with it she could only sleep for a few hours; her mind was overflowing with anger and hatred. All of it directed at the witch that had done this to her. Jinx felt like screaming in anger every time she thought of Raven, but by some miracle she always managed to suppress that urge. Might have something to do with the fact that the guards had orders to use stun weapons on her if she grew too violent, and Jinx already knew all too well that those two were just itching for an excuse to use them. Jinx suddenly felt another wave of pain washing over her, so she pressed the button in her hand that would call for a nurse to give her some painkillers. A minute passed and no one came. Two minutes and still no sight of the damn nurse. Now, patience was never a strongpoint with Jinx, so she began to press the button in rapid succession, her irritation growing with every click.

"Don't even bother" a feminine voice suddenly said from the darkness, causing Jinx to freeze up in fear. She nervously glanced around the room, trying to locate whoever had snuck in.

"W-who's t-there?" she asked fearfully. Her eyes were now darting everywhere in terror. She soon spotted the intruder in the form of a single eye staring at her from the corner of the room, its crimson glow paralyzing Jinx. Slowly, it began to move closer to Jinx, who was now pressing the button in her hand with even greater vigor.

"I have some use of you" the thing said as it stood right next to Jinx's bed. She was able to vaguely make out a few things of the intruder. It was clad in a cloak and had a hood over its head.

"But don't you worry" it said as a hand was raised and slowly reached out towards Jinx's face.

"The pain…will only be temporary" now Jinx could make out the black metal gauntlet that covered the hand as it hovered right over her face. The fingertips were made like razor sharp claws and what looked like a red ruby was engraved into the palm. It took a few moments for Jinx to register what it had said and by that time the gauntlet had already began to lower itself towards her, the ruby starting to glow. Once again the urge to scream came to Jinx. But this time, she really did scream.

…..

Robin was still seated in front of the computer when the alarm went off. The hero part of his brain quickly overrode the emotional part and he quickly abandoned his search for Raven in favour of checking out what crime it was that was occurring. He also contacted his team.

"Titans, do you read me?" he called out. There was a few seconds of static before he received a reply.

"_Loud and clear, Rob!" _Cyborg responded.

"_Yes, I read you"_ came the reply from Starfire.

"_Yeah, no problemo!" _Beast boy was the last to report.

"We've got trouble at the hospital, Jinx has been kidnapped" Robin said gravely. There were a few gasps coming from the other ends.

"_Are you sure it's not just her buddies finally working up the guts to bust her out?" _Cyborg asked. Robin shook his head.

"She was the one that alerted the entire hospital of her kidnapping with a scream" he explained.

"_But who would do such a terrible thing?" _Starfire asked sorrowfully. Even if Jinx was an enemy, Starfire did not like it when someone tried to kidnap people. She spoke from experience when saying that it could be a horrible experience.

"_Yeah, I mean what would they possible gain from kidnapping Jinx of all people?"_ Beast boy asked, a puzzled expression on his face. Robin shook his head,

"I don't know, but I know where she is. I secretly had a tracer placed on her in case the H.I.V.E Five tried to break her out" Robin explained as he began to type in some commands on the computer.

"Got her! She's at the high school building!" he exclaimed, receiving a groan from Beast boy.

"_Why did it have to be a school of all things?" _he whined. Robin just sighed at his antics.

"Save it, Beast boy. We'll meet up outside the building at the parking lot and then move from there together" he said, receiving confirmation from his team before terminating the link. As he turned around to head out, he found Doctor Fate standing at the door. It was obvious that he had too heard what had happened.

"Not to be disrespectful or anything, but I don't think we'll need your help on this. We've dealt with this before" Robin explained to him. At first he had the nagging feeling that Doctor Fate would disagree, saying that they were just inexperienced kids that needed help.

"I agree with you here. But I have a feeling that there is more to this than meets the eye" Doctor Fate said. Robin blinked a few times when he registered that he had not disagreed with him.

"While there are many among the senior superheroes who feel that your team is still too young to stand on your own, I prefer to let actions speak more than age and words. Your team has made it this far without falling, and for that you have my respect" Doctor Fate explained, obviously picking up on Robin's unspoken question. Robin gave a gratified nod at hearing those words, but at the same time sad that it was not his mentor that had said them. Pushing those thoughts aside, he brought up another subject.

"What did you mean by more than meets the eye?" he asked.

"Simply the fact that there's no logic to this move. Jinx is powerless and incapacitated with no known grudge or bounty on her head. There's nothing to gain from this, other than to draw you out. But for that they could have simply picked any civilian from any part of town. There's some ulterior motive behind this, and I worry what it could be" Doctor Fate answered. Robin could not help but agree to the logic, there was something else going on here. But they could not just leave Jinx to whatever fate awaited her, even if she would just live to commit crimes another day.

"You go and help her, I'll stay here and keep an eye open for anything suspicious" Doctor Fate offered, once again picking up on Robin's dilemma.

"Alright" Robin said before sprinting past him, heading towards the garage. Doctor Fate meanwhile levitated over to the computer, his gaze bound to the red dot that blinked on the map of Jump City.

"Please, let it not be who I think it is. For the Titans sake" he said to himself. But no matter who it was the Titans were going to face, Doctor Fate was certain, that tonight would test their resolve like never before.

…..

Approaching the high school at high speed, Robin was forced to apply high pressure to the brakes to slow down the R-cycle so as to not crash headfirst into the building. He came to a screeching halt next to the other Titans already there and waiting for him.

"Have you spotted any activity?" he asked the moment his boots made contact with solid earth again. Cyborg shook his head.

"Nah, both Beast boy and Starfire have circled the area before you came and they found nothing. I've scanned the whole building and have only found one life sign in there" he explained. Robin narrowed his eyes in suspicion, he had expected more of a resistance. Doctor Fate's words rung in his ears yet again and he found himself agreeing to them more than before.

"Have you identified where exactly the life sign is?" Robin asked Cyborg.

"Yeah, it's in the sport hall" he answered. Robin quickly digested the information before turning to his team.

"Alright, we'll move in together. But watch your backs, this smells too much like a trap for my taste" he said, gaining nods of affirmation from his teammates. As one, they moved towards the doors. Robin easily picked the look and they proceeded inside. As they walked down the dark and quiet hallways, a feeling of dread settled in each of their minds. They could not shake the feeling that something was watching them from the darkness, stalking them like a patient predator. There were even a few times when Beast boy could have sworn he saw a red glowing eye staring at him from the darkness, but every time he tried to focus on what it was, it would disappear before he could even get a good enough look to decide whether he had imagined it or not. When they passed a stairway, Starfire was certain that she saw a cloak flowing up the stairs at the edge of her vision, but it disappeared before she could even alert her friends. Cyborg nearly got a heart attack when he found that someone was standing at the end of the hallway, even when there had been no one there a second earlier. But in the amount of time it took for Cyborg to blink, the mysterious person was gone. Acting more on primal instinct than on any conscious thought, the group huddled closer and moved onward with their backs to each other. None of them said anything, there was nothing they could say at the moment. Finally, after what felt like an eternity to the Titans, they reached the sport hall. Robin was the first at the door and carefully slid it open. He peered inside, carefully watching for any sign of movement. There was no light within, but Robin was still able to discern a body lying on the floor in the middle of the sport hall with its back turned to them. And catching a quick glance of what appeared to be pink hair, he was instantly inside and rushing over to help her.

"Jinx, what happened?" he asked as he knelt beside her. He received a groan from her as she tried to turn around, but her wounds prevented her. Robin helped her roll over so she could look at him. The moment she saw who it was, she glared at him.

"The Teen Titans. I don't know if I should feel relieved or angry that you're here" she sneered at them as the rest of the team had entered and was standing around. Beast boy grunted at that.

"Same old Jinx, I see. Maybe we should just leave you here and be on our merry way?" he threatened her. Jinx just scoffed.

"Empty threats, elf" she shot back. Beast boy's only answer was an inaudible grumble.

"Save it. We're getting out of here now" Robin said as he and Starfire helped pick up Jinx, despite her objections. But Cyborg was not moving, he was staring in shock at a scanner on his arm. Robin noticed this and stopped to regard him curiously.

"Something wrong?" he asked. Cyborg, seemingly snapped out of a trance, looked up at his leader with alarm etched into his face.

"Guys, I'm still only picking up five life signs in here, but Jinx is not one of them" he said fearfully. Robin's eyes widened in surprise as he turned his gaze back to Jinx, who was now grinning maniacally at them. Without further warning, Jinx spun around to deliver a knee into Robin's gut and an elbow into Starfire's neck. The other Titans were too stunned from what just happened to act in time when Jinx came rushing at Cyborg. But instead of blasting him with a hex or hitting him with her fists, she caught him in a tight hug.

"Hey. Just what are you…?" Cyborg began to say but got no further as he suddenly felt pain shoot through him. It felt to Cyborg as if his very life was sucked right out of him. But as he glanced down at Jinx, the wicked smile she wore made him think that it might lie some truth to his assumptions. He tried to break free, but he could feel that he was growing weaker by the second while Jinx's grip on him was growing stronger. Just he was about to pass out, Beast boy came to the rescue by first flying between them as a fly before morphing into an elephant, forcing the two of them apart.

"Thanks, BB" Cyborg said between heavy breaths. He was still standing, but it was barely. Jinx had drained nearly all of his strength. Beast boy just gave a nod as he morphed back into human. Jinx meanwhile was standing immobile where she had been pushed to, her face vacant of any emotions. Both Beast boy and Cyborg were watching her cautiously as Robin and Starfire got up and surrounded Jinx.

"Umm, Hello? Anyone home?" Beast boy asked in confusion as he waved a hand in Jinx's direction, not really daring to get any closer to investigate. Robin on the other hand was slowly walking closer to her, boo staff extended and held in a two-hand grip in front of his body. Jinx did not even react to his close proximity, she actually did nothing but stand there while staring at nothing. Robin even nudged her with his boo staff, yet still she remained where she was like a lifeless statue.

"What the hell is going on here?" Robin asked as the other Titans began to lower their weapons or attacks. Wrong move. Out of the darkness, a wave of dark energy surged forward, crashing into Cyborg and Beast boy and smashing both of them to the ground.

"What the…" Robin said just before an arm made of pure darkness came out of his own shadow, coiling around his body like a snake before a hand at its end grabbed a hold of Robin's throat, strangling him.

"Robin!" Starfire cried out in alarm upon seeing her friend's predicament and was about to rush to his rescue when Jinx sprang into action again. She somersaulted right over Starfire before giving a kick into her back, sending Starfire to the floor. She then jumped on her back and pinned her to the floor. Starfire tried to break free, but Jinx simply drained her energy and leaving Starfire weak and close to death. Cyborg was by then trying to get back up but his progress was hampered when a massive black fist descended on him and kept him firmly pinned to the floor. Beast boy was himself just regaining his bearing when what looked like liquid darkness seeped up from the floor around him. He managed to give one squeak of fear before it washed over his body, gluing him in place. He tried to struggle free, but the darkness would not budge.

"Well I must say; that went easier than I could have ever imagined" a dry, feminine voice said in a monotonous tone that could only belong to one single being that the Titans knew of. They all directed their gazes to where the voice had originated from and just as they suspected, there was Raven; sitting halfway up on the benches adorning the sidelines with a smug smile adorning her face. But when the Titans saw her attire, they all made a double take. Gone was the leotard and blue cloak, now she was wearing a black and spiked armor of ancient design and a black cloak. Spiked metal boots adorned her feet while clawed metal gauntlets covered her hands and as she held up one of her hands, the Titans could see a red glowing ruby embedded in the palm of the gauntlet. The plates on her forearms were each equipped with six small curved blades in two rows of three. A brooch shaped like a dragon's head fastened her cloak to her shoulders and a red-rimmed black logo of a raven was on her chestplate, with the number 7 glowing red at its center. Upon seeing the slack jawed expressions on her former teammates, Raven tilted her head slightly in a curious manner.

"What's the matter Titans? You look like you've seen a ghost" she inquired. Robin was the first one to shake of the shock of seeing Raven again and tried to speak, but the hand clamped around his throat made his words come out as nothing more than garbled nonsense. Seeing his predicament, Raven gave a slight wave of her hand and the grip on his throat lessened. Robin immediately began to greedily suck in much needed oxygen before directing all his focus to Raven.

"Listen to me Raven, that crystal is corrupting your mind. You must get rid of it, or you'll lose yourself to it" he tried to reason with her. At first, she just stared at him, looking like she was in deep thought. But then she burst out laughing, a truly evil and wicked laugh that sent chills down all of the Titans spines. Even Beast boy, who had made it one of his missions in life to get Raven to laugh, wished that he never had to hear that laugh ever again.

"Give up my most precious accessory? Now why in the name of Trigon would I ever do something as stupid as that?" Raven asked amusedly as she got up from where she was sitting and began to lazily walk down the stairs.

"After all, it has given me access to spells, incantations and powers beyond my wildest dreams. Just take Jinx for example" Raven said while gesturing to Jinx who was still pinning Starfire. Robin first stared at Jinx as if he had just noticed her. Something seemed to be registered in Robin's mind as he turned an accusatory glare at Raven, who by now had reached the bottom of the stair.

"What have you done to her?!" he demanded angrily, causing Raven to grin even wider while the glow of her right eye intensified.

"Glad you asked. You see what I've done is simply kill her and then raise her from the dead. But with some small adjustments to her lifeless aura I've created a hunger in her for the one thing she can no longer have; life force. And for that reason she will hunt all living creatures on a hunt to drain all their life out of their bodies in order to sate a hunger that can never be sated" she explained with proudness. The Titans all now looked first at Jinx in horror and then at Raven in disbelief. None of them could believe it, that a friend of theirs would do something so hideous. But the evidence was standing right there in front of them, smiling like the devil himself.

"Why did you do it? She was no longer a threat to anyone, least of all you! So why would you kill her and turn her to this abomination?!" Cyborg suddenly asked, nearly bursting into tears. It was no secret that during his short time infiltrating the H.I.V.E. Academy, he had developed a crush on Jinx. Although those times and emotions were long gone now, he still felt great anger and sadness at seeing Jinx reduced to this. Seemingly reading his thoughts, which she no doubt did, Raven turned her wicked smile and malicious gaze to him.

"Simple, because I felt like it. Why, sad you can't get down and dirty with her any longer?" she mockingly asked. Cyborg now glared hatefully at Raven, at that moment forgetting, or ignoring, the fact that they used to be friends.

"You goddamn monster!" he snarled out at her, causing the other Titans to look at him in surprise. Though deep down they could not help but agree with Cyborg for surely only a monster could do something like this. But Raven seemed to be untroubled by the accusation. If anything, she seemed to find it amusing.

"Please Cyborg. We're supposed to be enemies here, you don't need to flatter me" she said amusedly. Cyborg now looked ready to throttle her, but the massive fist kept him pinned to the floor.

"What exactly do you want Raven?" Robin asked. Raven turned her gaze back to him as she answered.

"It's quite simple really; I want payback for what you did to me last time we saw each other" she said, her earlier amused tone disappearing to be replaced by a cold and harsh tone while her right eye glowed a blinding red. It was clear that she was still quite pissed about it.

"Please Raven, don't do this. This is not you. This is not what you want" Beast boy suddenly said with a pleading tone. Raven stared at him like he had just gone mad or something. She then shook her head while giving a small smile.

"Oh, I assure you; this is most definitely what I want" she said. Her gaze then traveled over each of the Titans in turn.

"But it would be no fun for me if you could not defend yourselves. So…" Raven said as she snapped her fingers and the bindings holding the Titans down disintegrated while Jinx jumped back to her master's side.

"… I suggest you prepare yourself" she finished just as the number 7 disappeared and the number 6 appeared, black mist flowing out from under her cloak. The Titans meanwhile were scrambling up as fast as they could while preparing for battle. Something told them that this fight was going to be worse than the last one, because this time it was Raven who had ambushed them. And by the look on her face, she would not be as hesitant to harm them as they had been last time.

"Titans go!" Robin cried out as he and the others charged at Raven. This was no longer a battle to save a friend, this was now a battle to defeat a villain.

…..

Tonight would have been a beautiful night as far as Doctor Fate could determine from where he was standing on the roof of Titans Tower; the stars shining overhead and the lights from Jump City brightening the horizon. Doctor Fate would have enjoyed the beautiful view if not for the sudden appearance of dark clouds that covered the sky. Deprived of the lights from the stars and the moon, the only thing brightening up the night was the city. Few would have been bothered by the clouds, most would simply call it bad luck that they would spoil the view. But Doctor Fate was one of those few who were troubled by this. He could smell the faintest traces of magic in the air, that was rarely a good signs. Whatever this was, it was not the weather of this world. With a swirl of his cape, he walked back inside the tower, never catching sight of a smaller cloud moving across the sky. No one would normally find anything unusual about a small cloud when the sky was filled with them, but this one was moving fast and against the wind. The cloud moved quickly to Titans Tower and when it was above the building, the cloud actually dived for it. Only when it reached the roof it was revealed as a swarm of crows. They quickly moved together and Iron Mask's body was formed out of the crows.

"_Il était facile_" he said to himself as he strolled over to the door leading to the staircase. He did not try to open it directly, for he knew already that it was locked during the night. Instead he pulled aside a metal plate next to the door, revealing a control panel. The door had had a code-controlled lock that only the Titans knew the code to. It was fortunate for Iron Mask that his boss was a former member, not that it really mattered since he had read her mind long before she switched sides. So without hesitation he pressed in the desired code and with a click, the door was unlocked. He was instantly on high alert once he entered the tower. He knew that Raven had drawn away the Titans in order to make it easier for Iron Mask to infiltrate the tower, but it was a strong possibility that they had called in back-up. After all, their enemy was this time around a former comrade who knew exactly how they thought and acted, it would be a wise move to have strength in numbers in such a situation. Iron Mask suddenly stopped when he spotted a camera in the corridor ahead of him. Looking further down the hall, he could see more cameras. So he summoned a single crow that flew up to the first camera and landed on it. The crow then picked off the cable connecting it to the security, disabling it. The crow continued on, disabling camera after camera while Iron Mask calmly walked in its wake. Taking a few turns here and there and walking down a few stairs, Iron Mask finally reached his destination; Raven's room. He quietly opened the door and slipped in, closing the door behind him. He took a few minutes to observe the dark and gothic decorations inside; the dark colors, the two masks, the strange bird statue and the bookshelf that was packed to the brink with books that would make any collector of the occult drool in wonder.

"_Endroit sympa, j'aime son gout" _Iron Mask casually remarked. He walked over to the bookshelf and began to systematically search through it. Occasionally he picked out a book and after flipping through its pages he either placed it on the floor behind him or put it back on the shelf.

"_Peut-être_ this one… _non_, wrong one… or is it… _non_, wrong again… could it be… might as well take it… did I _chèque_ this earlier… _peut-être_" he kept on mumbling to himself as he checked book after book. Finally it seemed as if he had found exactly what he was looking for as his tracing finger stopped on a thick bound volume and he exclaimed in an "aha". He pulled out the book and gave it a quick run through before he nodded in satisfaction. He picked up all the books he had chosen and placed them on the bed before walking to the window in her room and opened it. On his command, several crows came flying into the room and picked up the books before flying away again, back to their base of operations. Iron Mask silently slipped back out into the corridor and headed towards the living room. He still had one more assignment left to complete before he could take his leave. As quietly as humanly possible he moved down the hallways until he arrived at the living room. He carefully opened the door to peer inside. Finding no one there, he walked with a more brisk pace to the computer inside. Activating it, a message that a password was required to access it appeared. Iron Mask snorted in amusement.

"Couldn't they come up with a better _système_ _de sécurité?"_ he asked himself as he typed the password. Once it was done, he took out a CD case from his pocket. He put the CD inside the computer and a download bar appeared on the screen, indicating that whatever was on the CD was being transferred to the computer. With his task complete, Iron Mask indulged himself with a satisfied smile underneath his mask. The clouds outside had already dissipated and Iron Mask was momentarily captivated by the beautiful sight.

"It really is a _magnifique_ night tonight, don't you agree _Docteur_ Fate?" he asked over his shoulder, addressing Doctor Fate who had just entered the living room.

"Where is the girl?" Doctor Fate asked harshly. Only now did Iron Mask turn around to face his opponent, calm on the outside but nearly exploding with excitement on the inside.

"I think you should be more concerned about what I'm doing here than where she is" he stated matter-of-factly just as the download bar reached 100%. Immediately after, the screen suddenly turned black as sparks flew from the keyboard, frying all the hardware on the computer. The sparks then travelled through the whole tower, destroying all electrical equipment and infecting the communication system.

"A most _génial_ plan by _ma patronne_. She knew that we could never stand against the _unifié_ might of the Teen Titans and all _honorables membres_, so she devised a way to knock out the worldwide _communication_ network they used; leaving all the _membres_ isolated and easy _cueillette_ for us. Leave it to a former _membre_ to devise the best way to _défaite_ the Titans" Iron Mask explained smugly. Of course, the destruction of the communication network was only a secondary objective, the primary objective was far grander; but he was not so arrogant as to reveal that much to the enemy. Though Iron Mask could not see Doctor Fate's face, he got an impression that he appeared crestfallen by that news.

"So Raven chose to ally with you against the Titans" he said sadly, not even asking for confirmation since this was what he had feared and suspected would happen. Iron Mask tilted his head slightly in curiosity.

"Do I _détecte_ a hint of sadness in your voice? Don't tell me you still held hopes to save her?" he asked in surprise. Doctor Fate fixated Iron Mask with a steely glare.

"No, I already suspected that she was beyond salvation. But I am concerned for the Titans. They had hoped that they could somehow save her. But now it will be clear to them that there is nothing they can do" he explained. Iron Mask gave a light laugh before ending with a weary sigh.

"Young people these days; they can never _accepter_ the _inévitable_" he said. He then cast a quick glance at the window behind him before looking back at Doctor Fate.

"I _suspecte_ that you'll not simply let me go, am I right?" he asked innocently. Doctor Fate in turn began levitating off the ground while his hands became encased in golden light.

"You would be correct in your assumption" he answered. Underneath his mask, Iron Mask gave a diabolical smile.

"Then try to catch me if you're able to" he said just as he turned around and ran. Before Doctor Fate could stop him, Iron Mask threw himself through the window. Just as he was about to be squashed against the rocks below, he dissolved into a swarm of crows that took off towards the city. Doctor Fate had by then run up the shattered window and peered out just in time to catch sight of the crows speeding with all haste towards Jump City.

"Damn!" he said as he took off after his quarry. The hunt was now officially on.


	22. Chapter 22: The end part 2

Jump City high school

Robin impacted painfully with the floor, but did not even have time to cry out in pain before a steel boot was pressed against his throat. Raven was about to crush his windpipe when Cyborg charged her. He threw a fist straight at her, which she caught in an energy enhanced grip. She was pushed back a good distance but once she stopped, Cyborg found himself thrown right over her when the floor he stood on was ripped off and launched into the air. He crashed right through the spectator benches. Raven was about to launch a bolt of dark energy at him to make sure he stayed down, but was forced to turn that attack into a shield against a barrage of starbolts coming from Starfire. She was flying circles around Raven, trying to make herself a harder target to hit. She kept on firing starbolts as fast as she could produce them, blowing up smoke and debris around Raven. Finally she stopped her attack and as the dust settled, Raven was lying knocked out on the ground.

"I would like to ask you to surrender since I do not wish to fight you any further, friend Raven" Starfire said. Raven meanwhile just lay motionless on the floor. Starfire began to worry that she had overdone it.

"Well, that's a shame…" Raven suddenly said from behind Starfire. She looked back in shock, eyes wide with disbelief upon seeing Raven levitating right behind her looking no worse to wear. Starfire then looked back to where Raven lay on the floor, just in time to see that Raven dissolve into black smoke. But turning her back to her opponent proved to be a fatal mistake for Starfire.

"… Because I wish to fight you" Raven finished just as Starfire felt dark tendrils catch her in a steel grip. She was forced to turn around to face Raven, who was smiling maliciously at her. Her right eye glowed like a jewel from hell as Raven savored Starfire's fear and uncertainty.

"If I remember correctly from the time we switched bodies, your ability to fly is controlled by your ability to think happy thoughts" Raven mused out loud, never once faltering with that wicked smile of hers. Starfire did not like where this one way discussion was going one bit.

"Well, let's see if you can keep flying after this" Raven said sinisterly as she flung her cloak around Starfire, engulfing her in the crushing darkness within. Then came the screams. The anguished and horror-filled scream would haunt the Titans memories for years to come. It only lasted for a few moments, but by the time that Raven released Starfire, she was left a quivering mess whose eyes darted around frantically, looking at everything yet nothing at the same time. Raven casually let Starfire go from the tendrils; the poor girl instantly plummeted towards the ground like a rock.

"Starfire!" Robin cried out in panic just as her body made contact with the floor. He rushed over to her and tried to help her, but she just curled up in a fetal position while whimpering. Robin was close to tears when seeing his friend reduced to such as state, that was soon converted to burning anger when his gaze travelled to Raven who was still hovering above him.

"What? Was it something I did?" she asked innocently. Robin did no say a word to her, because nothing he said would have any meaning now. To borrow Raven's own words; It was far too late for words now. Robin was about to attack her, but Jinx came at him from his right and he was forced to focus on her instead. He threw a birdarang at her, which grazed her cheek, and followed up with a fist towards her face. Jinx managed to catch it with her own hand, but Robin suddenly swung his right leg at her legs. The moment she made contact with the ground, Robin brought a heel down on her chest. The blow cracked a few ribs, but Jinx was already dead and such wounds were of no consequence to her. Already she was getting back up, ready for more. While that was going on, Raven was assailed by a pissed off Cyborg.

"How could you do this to us?!" Cyborg demanded of Raven while firing off a sonic blast. Raven deflected it with a black barrier before thrusting her left hand forward, sending a black energy snake from each of her fingertips. Cyborg tried to shoot them down, but they just kept corkscrewing around his blasts. Realizing that there was no way for him to hit them, Cyborg tried to dodge them. But his bulky form was too cumbersome to evade the nimble snakes, not to mention he was still slightly drained from Jinx's attack. One of them snared itself around his left leg and before he could remove it, it pierced straight through his leg. Cyborg cried out in pain just as the same thing happened to his other leg and both his arms.

"How could I do this to you?" Raven asked, repeating Cyborg's question mostly to herself. Cyborg found himself hoisted into the air and brought before Raven. He tried to break free, but with the black snakes lodged in his limbs there was not much he could do.

"I'm asking myself more along the line of; why didn't I do this sooner?" Raven stated as the fifth snake appeared in Cyborg's line of sight. It gave a hiss at Cyborg as Raven got a dangerous gleam in her left eye. Her right eye always had one.

"Tell me Cyborg; what is the worst pain you've ever suffered?" she asked casually. Cyborg remained silent and just glared defiantly at the monster he used to regard as his little sister. The fifth snake suddenly pierced his chest and latched onto his power supply. He screamed in pain as what felt like a thousand agonies ravaged his body. He could barely focus on anything, only wishing that he could just black out from the pain. But such deliverance never came to him. It was then, whether it was pure reflex or conscious thought, that Cyborg's shoulder plates opened up and dozens of mini-rockets soared out, straight towards Raven. Her eyes widened in surprise and she barely managed to bring up a barrier, but that one was blasted apart and Raven was sent flying into the wall. The snakes binding Cyborg dissolved and he crashed into the floor, unconscious before he even made contact with it.

"Should have seen that one coming" Raven muttered to herself as she pulled herself out of the small crater her body had made in the wall. But she noted with grim satisfaction that Cyborg at least was down for the count. _Two down, _Raven thought gleefully before her eyes traveled between Robin and Beast boy, _two to go._ Robin was still battling the undead Jinx and Beast boy seemed to have just snapped out of whatever trance that had kept him from entering the fray sooner. He was about to rush over to Robin's aid when his path was suddenly blocked by a massive raven made of darkness.

"Where do you think you're going?" Raven asked as she levitated down to the ground. Beast boy turned around to face his new opponent, his eyes filled with anger and sadness.

"Is this how this will end? A battle to the death between friends?" he asked, almost looking ready to cry. Raven nodded her head as answer. That was when something was brought out of Beast boy, something that had lain buried since Terra's betrayal. Beast boy's face instantly hardened and whatever tears he had been ready to shed dried away.

"Just like Terra then" he said as he morphed into a gorilla and charged at Raven. She in turned flew right over him and the moment she made contact with the floor again, she swirled around and sent a massive black talon at him. Beast boy was sent smashing into the spectator benches but he quickly morphed into a mosquito to escape the talon's clutches. Beast boy followed up with morphing into a rhino and once again attacked. Raven teleported to the side just as they were about to collide and fired off a blast of dark energy at Beast boy. But this time he was ready and morphed into a hummingbird. Before Raven could react, Beast boy came flying at her before morphing back to his human form in mid-flight. He came barreling into Raven feet first and knocked her over.

"You're gonna have to do better than that!" he said to Raven, who was just trying to get back up when Beast boy's boot knocked her back down. His victory however was short lived when Raven phased through the floor and a hand made of black energy shot up and grabbed a hold of Beast boy's throat. He was lifted off the ground and smashed into the roof head-first before being thrown as hard as possible down on the ground. Raven rose up from the ground next to Beast boy.

"Will that suffice?" she asked rhetorically of him just as she created a blade of dark energy in her hand and drove it through Beast boy's right leg. He screamed out in pain as Raven twisted and turned the blade in his wound before allowing it to dissipate. Beast boy was barely conscious now, but he could make out Raven standing over him, ready to deliver the finishing blow. He closed his eyes and awaited the end to come. Several agonizing moments passed before Beast boy realized that he was still alive. In curiosity, he opened his eyes to see that Raven was still standing above him. But to his surprise, she just walked away from him. Beast boy was stunned, had she not planned to kill him earlier? But his vision was starting to grow dizzy from blood loss.

"Why?" he asked just before unconsciousness claimed him. Raven ignored him and looked over to where Robin was, only to find Robin standing over a beaten Jinx. All her limbs had been dislocated, again, so she was unable to move.

"Just you and me left then, Robin?" Raven calmly asked. Robin just threw aside his boo staff, which had been broken by Jinx.

"Before we begin, I must ask you this; is there anything left of the old Raven in you?" he asked of her. And for the first time in weeks, Raven smiled. Not a smile of maliciousness or wickedness, but a true smile. And in those few precious moments, Robin saw what was left of his friend and teammate inside this monster that had taken her place. But like leaves in the wind, that Raven was brushed away and the new and cruel one was back.

"Maybe, maybe not. It doesn't matter anymore. All that matters is that this time, I will defeat you; just like I've defeated the rest of your friends" she stated. Something she said got Robin aggravated as he gritted his teeth and his hands balled into fists.

"They were your friends too!" he shot back. Raven scoffed at his claim.

"Key word 'were', Robin" she corrected him. Her left hand suddenly reached behind her back. Robin was instantly on alert, being ready for whatever Raven was going to use against him. But he most certainly did not expect her to bring forth the crystal. And just like last time he saw it, he felt captivated by it. But this time he knew what horror it truly was and could easily ignore its seductive power. Raven began to idly caress it between her fingers as her gaze traveled between it and Robin.

"Marvelous thing it is, don't you agree? So much power in such a frail form" Raven said as black smoke began to billow around it.

"But a most peculiar thing about it is that when someone manages to fully bond with it, they can change its very shape to something that suits the wielder's taste" she explained just as the crystal started to expand. It grew longer and formed around her hand. Robin watched in surprised fascination as the crystal formed a sword handle with a pommel. It soon also formed a basket hilt and the blade itself began to grow. With the transformation done, Raven now held a rapier in her hand, its blade charcoal black with red glowing runes running up the length of it. She gave it a few experimental swings to test the balance before she pointed the tip at Robin.

"I have for the last two weeks been practicing the use of a blade, and I'm most anxious to test out my skills against a real opponent" Raven said. Robin meanwhile brought out two birdarangs before slamming them together. They then formed a sword for Robin to use. He had only used it twice before, and he had to admit that he was a little hesitant to use such a lethal weapon against a living opponent. Nevertheless, if he wanted to survive a sword duel, he would need to use a sword. Both combatants faced each other, blades at the ready; Robin held his upright in a two handed grip, Raven had assumed a fencing stance with a one handed grip on the sword and pointing it downward. And at some unspoken agreement, they both charged at each other and their blades met with a clang of steel.

…..

As the clash between old friends took place, Doctor Fate was still chasing Iron Mask across the city. He weaved past buildings, through alleys, across late night traffic but still his quarry always remained one step ahead. Of course, the fact that Iron Mask's body was made up of crows made it easier for him to maneuver around the city, whilst Doctor Fate could not split his own body up into smaller ones and was forced to give chase in a much larger body than Iron Mask. Ahead of him, Iron Mask crashed through an apartment window and reformed his body. Terrified screams accompanied him as he smashed open a door and bolted down the hallway.

"Damn him!" Doctor Fate cursed as he himself dived through the window and hurried after him, offering a quick apology to the terrified couple that had been watching TV when a swarm of crows had burst through their window. Doctor Fate ran out into the corridor, but had already lost sight of Iron Mask. Another resident of the building though had seen where he had gone and without asking any questions, just numbly pointed down the stairs. Doctor Fate was instantly racing down the stairs, determined to end this chase before innocents got hurt. When he bust out on the streets, he found Iron Mask already in the form of a swarm of crows and flying off. Doctor Fate was quickly in the air himself, to the astonishment of many onlookers, and in hot pursuit again. Iron Mask dived into an alley and Doctor Fate was not far behind. But he soon found his prey gone, vanished without a trace. That proved to be false when Doctor Fate heard a whistle from above, and looking found Iron Mask standing in human form on the rooftop.

"Having trouble keeping up?" he asked as he dissolved into a swarm of crows again. Doctor Fate gave a quick curse as he bolted up to where he last saw him. Iron Mask was already on the other side of a road, patiently waiting for Doctor Fate. As the chase continued, Doctor Fate got the feeling that Iron Mask was not trying to escape him, but rather leading him somewhere.

"Just what are you up to, Iron Mask?" he quietly asked as he speeded after Iron Mask, who was now flying right in the traffic. Several cars began to steer wildly when several crows appeared right among them, and many crashed and caused a traffic jam. Doctor Fate stared in shock at the scene below him. What the hell could be gained from causing a traffic jam when both of them were flying? Then he remembered it was Iron Mask he was dealing with, the guy did not need a reason to cause chaos and destruction. Iron Mask temporarily reformed his body to give Doctor Fate the middle finger before continuing onward. Doctor Fate cared little about such a childish insult and continued the pursuit. They were both in the open now and Doctor Fate had a clear line of sight on Iron Mask but the immortal bastard was cleverly keeping a low altitude, meaning Doctor Fate could not use ranged attack against him without risking accidentally hitting innocent bystanders. But as the chase dragged on, Doctor Fate was unaware that they were drawing ever close to Jump City high school. Nor could he detect the struggle occurring inside its walls.

…..

Smoke burst out of the pellets Robin had thrown on the ground, obscuring both combatants. Robin carefully snuck up behind Raven, who was standing crouched and blade held ready, and tried a two-handed swing from above. But Raven had tracked his life force all along and easily sidestepped the blade that instead cut deep into the wooden floor. Raven twirled around and aimed a thrust against Robin's exposed right side. He let go of his own blade and jumped back just in time before catching hold of Raven's arm. She had no time to steady herself before Robin yanked her forward, smashing a knee into her stomach and knocking the air out of her. But with a strength that no one her size should possess, she yanked her arm back and unbalanced Robin before throwing her sword over Robin and into her other hand. Robin saw the danger just in time and pushed away from Raven as the blade came in a decapitating arc, grazing his throat. As Robin backed towards his sword, a small trickle of blood leaked out from the shallow cut. Raven held up her rapier to proudly display the small amount of blood on it.

"First blood goes to me" she said smugly. Robin narrowed his eyes at her. The crystal had obviously changed her in more ways than one; the old Raven would have never so proudly displayed such a minor success. He did not know what other changes had been made to her, but hopefully he could turn those changes to his advantage.

"And that's all the blood that will be drawn here" he stated. No sooner had said it when Raven made a slashing motion with her blade and a wave of dark energy was sent right at Robin. He was barely able to jump out of the way in time and received a graze on his right arm. Raven smiled sadistically as droplets of blood fell to the floor from the wound.

"You were saying?" she asked before she rushed Robin. She thrust her sword towards his stomach but he deflected it and followed up with trying to strike Raven's sword arm. Raven jumped back just in time to avoid the blade and then swung her blade towards his chest. Robin bent backwards just enough to avoid the blade before knocking it up in the air with his own. With Raven now left temporarily defenseless, he closed the distance between them and pressed his blade towards her throat. Both combatants froze up at that point; both waiting what the other one would do.

"Give it up Raven. You've lost" Robin ordered. But something told him that those words may not have been the best ones to use as her whole body tensed up. Raven's right eye glowed an ever increasing red and her left eye was brimming with a sudden anger. You've lost; those were the words that kept repeating themselves over and over again in Raven's head. That was impossible, she could not lose; not with these powers. It just could not be possible to Raven, and she would prove it.

"Never!" she snarled out before gripping Robin's blade with her hand while delivering a kick to his stomach, forcing him back. She came at him again with a thrust against his shoulder, which he blocked. She thrust again at his heart which he yet again blocked, but this time he countered with a slash against her stomach. She barely blocked it in time. Raven was getting both nervous and irritated, this was taking far longer than she had anticipated. She backed off for a moment before rushing in again with a thrust against Robin's chest, hoping to score a lethal blow. Robin's own blade deflected hers just in time and he countered with a slash towards her chest. She teleported away just as the blade would have made contact and reappeared behind Robin, aiming a new thrust at his kidneys. But Robin had anticipated such a move and spun around to block the thrust yet again and pinned the blade to the floor. Before Raven could react, Robin had delivered a kick right into Raven's chest and knocked her back, causing her to drop her sword in the process. Robin kicked her sword as far away from her as possible as Raven got back on her feet. She glared darkly at Robin, this was not how she had expected it would go.

"_**Stop fooling around Raven. You may be stronger and faster than a normal human thanks to my power, but Robin has experience on his side. If you keep fighting in his area of expertise, you will lose" **_Mal'Bolough warned in her mindscape. As much as Raven hated to admit it, he was right. She had wanted to defeat Robin on his terms to thoroughly humiliate him, but even with her augmented body he was still too skillful for her to handle. At least in close combat. Without warning, Robin rushed forward with a large swing against her legs. But Raven's sword suddenly appeared in her hand and she blocked Robin's. Stunned by this, Robin was too slow to react when Raven launched a black talon from her other hand. It grabbed hold of Robin's chest and threw him back. Robin's journey came to a stop when his back painfully connected with the wall, leaving a dent in it. Robin collapsed to his knees in pain as the talon dissipated. His whole back felt stiff and constricted from the blow. He tried to stand up, but a massive black fist came down on his back. He was smashed into the floor while letting out a cry of pain. Raven meanwhile was nonchalantly inspecting her blade for any signs of denting. When she was satisfied that her beloved sword was not damaged, she calmly walked over to Robin, who was still pressed to the floor by the fist. The pressure it was putting on him was actually constricting his breathing ability, and it was proving ever harder for him to stay conscious as his lungs desperately tried to drag in air but found their room to expand severely diminished.

"Did you really think that something as simple as separating us would be enough to bring me down? I thought I told you earlier; we are bonded, both physically and mentally. We are the same being now. It doesn't matter how much of a distance is placed between us, we can still reach each other in a heartbeat" she explained. But Robin had barely registered what she had said, too preoccupied with trying to breathe and stay conscious. With a dismissal wave of her hand, the black fist was dissolved. Robin immediately began to greedily suck in air as the pressure disappeared, but he was only given a few precious moments before Raven reached down and grasped his throat. With her enhanced strength, she easily lifted Robin into the air with but a single hand. Without warning, Raven suddenly tore Robin's mask off his face, exposing his crystal blue eyes to her hateful and nearly insane glare. And just to add insult to injury, she detached her soul from her body and invaded Robin's mind to steal everything in it; secrets, memories, feelings, emotions. Nothing was left unexamined in his mind. There was particularly one secret she paid most attention to; the one that everyone among the Teen Titans had wondered over.

"Dick Grayson? Somehow I was under the impression that your real name would be something more… classical than this" Raven sneered at him as she tightened her grip on his throat. Robin trashed helplessly in her iron grip while emitting gurgling noises from his throat. Raven brought him closer until their faces were just inches apart.

"Now you listen to me, this was a warning to you and your team. I'm no longer someone you can push around, I'm now stronger than all of you combined. So from now on; stay out of my way, or I'll kill you all" she warned before bringing her fist back to deliver a knock-out punch o Robin's face. The number 7 faded away from her breastplate as she carelessly threw away the now unconscious Robin before directing her gaze to the windows. The Teen Titans had been defeated, now all that remained was to wait for Iron Mask to arrive. She could not feel his presence yet, so she let her gaze wander over the fallen Titans. None of them looked like they would be getting up for quite a while and Raven felt a small amount of grim satisfaction. This defeat would definitely teach them that you do not mess with Raven and get away with it. It was at that point Iron Mask came bursting through the windows in a swarm of crows. He flew around Raven for a few moments before reforming his body in front of her.

"_Mission accomplice" _he said while giving a respectful bow with his head. Raven nodded her head in satisfaction.

"Excellent. By the way, were you by any chance followed here?" Raven inquired with both a knowing tone and smile. Iron Mask did not even need to answer as Doctor Fate came flying in at that moment. He gave a quick survey of the sport hall, distress coming over him upon seeing the Titans lying defeated across the room. He gave a single hateful glare at Iron Mask until finally his eyes came to rest upon Raven. But he did not see the human Raven, he was seeing the corrupted and pitch black aura that was flowing from her, suffocating all around her like a void of darkness.

"Doctor Fate I presume? Normally I would have felt honored to be in your presence, but since you're obviously in the company of the Titans I can't look upon you in any other way than as my enemy" Raven said coldly, her earlier joy and excitement gone. She may have beaten the Titans, but she was not too keen on tangling with someone like Doctor Fate just yet; not when her plans were in such a delicate stage.

"So you chose to join up with this psychopath, Raven. Why, what do you hope to gain from all of this?" Doctor Fate asked harshly, his eyes narrowing in suspicion. Raven gave him an innocent smile in return.

"Oh don't you worry, you'll soon find out, along with all the other inhabitants of this city" she answered before a pool of dark energy appeared underneath both her and Iron Mask. Together, the two of them began to sink into it.

"Later" she said just before her head disappeared into the pool and it dissipated, leaving no traces of her presence. Doctor Fate relaxed upon realizing that his opponents had retreated. He considered going after them, what Raven had said had not sounded very pleasant, but the Titans were all incapacitated and he could not possibly take on Raven, Iron Mask and whatever back-up they had. Sighing deeply, Doctor Fate prepared to teleport them all back to Titans Tower. One thing was certain in Doctor Fate's mind; whatever physical wounds they had sustained would be nothing compared to the mental ones. Doctor Fate just hoped that they would be strong enough to pull through this and face their daemon again.

…..

The black pool reappeared in a place Raven had hoped she would never see again; the place of her father's rebirth into this world, where she had been turned into a portal just to allow that self-centered bastard access to Earth. The place was nothing more than a crater with a staircase leading into the abyss. As Raven and Iron Mask rose up from the pool of dark energy, Raven looked upon the place of her supposed death with a sense of melancholy. How on Earth she had survived the experience back then she would probably never know, but that was in the past. She needed to focus on the present if she wanted to succeed. Iron Mask suddenly nudged Raven in the side, snapping her out of her inner thoughts.

"You alright, Raven? You looked a little _distant_ there for a while" he inquired of her respectfully. Normally he would never give a damn about politeness, but he felt that this was not the best time to risk antagonizing Raven. She in turn shook her head to clear away any other distracting thoughts before answering.

"I'm alright" she said. Iron Mask just nodded his head, not feeling too keen on questioning her. She suddenly turned her full attention to Iron Mask.

"We don't have time to dally around here. Contact the Hunter and his goons and have them set up a defensive perimeter around this place. I want you to set up barriers around the crater. I'll prepare the ritual" she ordered before turning around and walking away. But she suddenly stopped and looked back at Iron Mask.

"Umm… where exactly did you place my books now?" she asked a little sheepishly. Iron Mask pointed to a small pile of books in the far corner. Raven gave a quick nod as she walked over and began to sort through them in search of the necessary one. Iron Mask was about to walk away and complete the tasks given to him but he suddenly stopped.

"You know you should have killed the _Titans_ when you had the _chance_" Iron Mask said over his shoulder before dissolving into crows. Raven meanwhile had gone as stiff as a steel rod, her grip on her books tightening. For a brief moment, the number 9 appeared on her breastplate as her anger caused her to unconsciously draw upon Mal'Bolough's power, but she quickly repressed his power and the number vanished.

"Need to stop thinking about such distracting subjects" she mumbled under her breath. Taking a few calming breaths, she pushed any other thoughts and doubts from her head and focused solely on the task at hand. But still there was that small question that kept nagging on her mind no matter how much she tried to ignore it; why had she really spared the Titans?

…..

It had already been well over two hours since the Titans confrontation with Raven. Thankfully the injuries sustained were not life threatening, but they were still severe. Beast boy had his leg bandaged and had a little trouble of placing weight on that leg. Starfire was just coming out of her catatonic state but she still kept glancing fearfully at any shadow in her field of vision, as if fearing that Raven would come out of any one of them and do the same to her again. Cyborg had just finished the repairs on his body, he had easily replaced damaged circuitry. Robin was the one least damaged physically of them all, having only a few bruises and some cuts. But as Doctor Fate had predicted, it was their mental wounds that had cut the deepest. As they all sat together on the sofa in the living room, they each tried to overcome the despair they felt.

Beast boy was constantly asking himself how it all could have gone so wrong in the first place. Why did this have to happen again to them? Had not Terra been enough, did evil really have to take Raven from them too? But he could not help but also asking himself why Raven had let them live. They were at her mercy and she must have known that they would never stop coming after her, so why had she spared them? Beast boy did not know the answer, but he would find it no matter what.

Starfire was currently not thinking all that much, her mind was still trying to drag itself out of the dark and hellish pit that Raven had thrown it into. But she felt a great amount of sadness that a friend would do something so terrible to her. Starfire was always the one that valued friendship the most and she had always found it easy to forgive a friend. But after this, she was not sure if she could ever look upon Raven as friend again.

Cyborg was constantly going back and forth between sadness and anger. He first felt sad that Raven had been twisted into such a monster and he deeply wished that he could just undo it all so they could have the old Raven back. But then the memories of what she had done to Jinx would always come to the fore, and Cyborg was overwhelmed with anger. Even though they were enemies and whatever thing they had had for each other had evaporated long ago, seeing her reduced to such a state had brought out something dark and primal in Cyborg. Jinx had been killed, but instead of receiving the release of death, she had been snatched back to this world only to be turned into a weapon. As Cyborg looked upon his mechanical arm, he guessed that he felt so strongly about this was because he had experienced the same thing; only the motives for bringing both of them back was whole worlds apart.

But in many ways the one who was most hurt by this, was Robin. The others, save for Starfire who still refused to talk about what had happened to her, had only experienced the hardship of being defeated by someone they considered their friend. But when Robin and Raven had fought, she had invaded his mind. Sure, this was not the first time it had happened but last time she had entered out of necessity and had left his memories and emotions alone. This time she had entered just to torment him further. Raven had not only stolen everything in his mind, she had also been flashing it all before his eyes. All to mess with his mind, as a way to show that she could take whatever she wanted and there was nothing he could do to stop it. Words could not explain the state of mind Robin was in now; he felt violated by Raven's actions, felt disgust and anger towards her. But he felt so helpless about it all; he had to fight a dear friend, one that was proving to be just as cruel as Slade could be.

It was into this gloomy atmosphere that Doctor Fate walked into after having done some research. The depression hanging in the air was thick enough that it would take an axe to cleave through it. Not that Doctor Fate could truly blame them considering what they have been through. But it was no time for mourning now, there was too much at stake here.

"I realize this must be hard for you, but we don't have time for mourning. We need to act" he said. Robin turned his head at him in surprise.

"You've found something?" he asked, to which he received a nod.

"Apart from destroying your communication system, Iron Mask had also entered Raven's room" Doctor Fate explained. Now he had the whole team's attention as he continued.

"I recently made a detailed search of her rom in order to determine if anything was missing. From what I could tell, the only missing objects were some of her books; specifically those concerning daemons, if her organization system was anything to go by" he concluded. The Titans remained silent, obviously processing the information they were just given.

"That information won't help us that much since we don't even know where she is" Robin eventually said. Doctor Fate nodded his head as he floated past the couch and moved to the computer.

"Yes, you are correct in your assumption. It is for that reason that I have already located her" he said just as he brought up a map of the city and a red dot appeared, indicating Raven's position.

"I have detected a surge of dark magic in that area, of what kind I'm not sure yet. But what confuses me more is the location, it is within the city's borders and in fairly open ground" Doctor Fate explained. The Titans looked carefully at where the red dot was and it was Cyborg who first recognized the place.

"Hey, that's the place where the old city library used to be!" he exclaimed, getting wide eyes of recognition from the other Titans and sending chills down their spines at the memory that place held. Doctor Fate turned an inquisitive gaze at Robin.

"I take it you know of this place" he stated, gaining a nod from Robin.

"That's where Trigon broke into our world" he simply said. Something suddenly dawned to Doctor Fate as his whole body tensed up and his eyes widened.

"Now it all makes sense" he said, causing all the Titans to look in his direction in puzzlement. Noticing the puzzled looks he was receiving, he relaxed his body while clearing his throat.

"As you are aware of, Trigon was a daemon from another dimension and he used Raven as a portal to enter this world. But you should know; even if the portal is closed, the power used to open it does not simply disappear; they linger in the area where the portal was opened. Of course they are in such small quantities that it has no effect on the area, but it does make it easier to open similar portals in that area" Doctor Fate explained to the assembled Titans.

"Uhh… how does that help us figure out what she's after?" Beast boy suddenly asked while raising his hand like a student in class. It suddenly clicked in Robin's mind. The stolen books about daemons and a surge in magic at the exact same spot that Trigon emerged from could only be connected by one explanation.

"She's going to open a portal to either summon or get in contact with another daemon!" he said out loud. Doctor Fate nodded his head in affirmation. But Beast boy was still confused.

"But why would she want to do that?" he asked dumbfounded. It was Cyborg who answered as he had analyzed the situation from a tactical point of view.

"With all the honorary Titans on our side, we have her both outnumbered and outclassed, add in Doctor Fate and the odds are stacked heavily against her. This is probably her way of leveling the plain field" he answered. Doctor Fate then decided to add his own observation.

"Although she probably won't get any help from a high ranking daemon due to her human heritage, there's no telling how many lesser daemons she can summon to her side due to being the offspring of Trigon. An entire army if we're really unlucky" he said. That caused all of the Titans to receive a much paler skin tone as their minds pictured Jump City being overrun by a horde of bloodthirsty daemons hell bent on destruction. The fact that Raven would be at the head of such a force made it all the worse. That settled it in Robin's mind. Friend or no friend, there was no way she was getting away with this. He was instantly on his feet and striding up to the computer to face his team.

"Alright Titans, our mission is clear here; stop the portal from opening… and take down Raven" he stated, though the last part came out a little strained. He received slow but determined nods from his team, save for one.

"But wait! It's Raven we're talking about here, we can't just beat her up like a common criminal!" Beast boy suddenly burst out. The whole team turned their gazes to him, looking at him like a parent would look upon a small child begging to keep a sick dog that would soon die.

"Beast boy, I…" Robin began but Beast boy was having none of that.

"I know she's done bad things, but we can't just turn our backs on her that easily. There has to be something we can do to make her come back to us" Beast boy begged. Robin sighed before fixing Beast boy with a piercing gaze. Robin did not like lecturing his friends, but he needed to see the truth.

"Beast boy, listen to me; no matter what the reason… no matter how much we wish it wasn't true. Raven's a criminal now, and just like any other criminal…" he explained, letting the sentence hang at the end.

"… The Teen Titans have to bring her down" Cyborg finished for him. Beast boy looked crestfallen at that news._ Isn't there anything we can do, _he thought sadly. And as if some higher power answered his question, a thought struck him like lightning.

"Her mirror!" he suddenly exclaimed, earning a spark of recognition from Cyborg and puzzled looks from everyone else.

"Friend, what does Raven's mirror have to do with this?" Starfire curiously asked.

"Because it's no ordinary mirror, it's a portal into her mind" Cyborg answered. Both Doctor Fate and Robin looked at the two in surprise.

"She has such an object in her possession?" Doctor Fate asked in wonder, it had been a while since he had last seen such a magical tool. But Robin's surprise was born more out of suspicion.

"And how do you two know about it?" he asked. Beast boy momentarily looked a little sheepish but quickly tried to change the subject.

"That's not important at the moment. What's important is that we can use it to enter her mind, try to reason with her from the inside" he explained. Robin looked skeptical about the idea, mostly because he figured that you could not reason with Raven anymore. But Beast boy was not about to give up so easily.

"Please Robin, just give me one shot at it" he pleaded with him. Doctor Fate felt that the idea held merit to it, but this was not his team and thus it was not his decision whether they should try it or not. Robin was himself thoughtful; the plan did appear sound, but could they risk it? But then again, if they could not reach her in time to stop the ritual then they were screwed either way.

"Alright, but I want someone to accompany you" he said reluctantly. Doctor Fate immediately stepped forward.

"I'll go with him. You must not forget that Mal'Bolough is also living in her mind now, and he has power beyond your own" he said. Robin nodded his head.

"Then it's settled. But you need to hurry in finding that mirror. The longer we delay, the greater the risk that she completes the portal" he said. Beast boy nodded his head in understanding and quickly bolted out of the living room to find the mirror. Doctor Fate was about to follow him when Robin stopped him.

"That was not your only reason for accompany him, was it?" he asked, though from his tone it was obvious that he already knew the answer.

"You know as well as I do what must be done" Doctor Fate answered. Robin gave a deep sigh.

"Just don't tell Beast boy until it's absolutely necessary. Who knows, maybe his plan will work" he said. But judging from his obviously forced optimism, it was clear that he did not hold high hopes for the plan himself.

…..

Hovering over the deep chasm in a lotus position, Raven gave off a faint glow of unholy energy as she chanted in a language no mortal tongue could ever have been twisted enough to develop. Already several runes drawn around the chasm were glowing an ominous red while the number 6 shone on her breastplate. Her eyes were closed in deep concentration. In fact, she had reached such a level of concentration that she was completely oblivious to the world around her; leaving her defenseless from even a simple mosquito. It was for this reason that Iron Mask and over a dozen heavily armed mercenaries stood guard around her. Iron Mask was currently gazing at Raven in satisfaction while his cohorts were several steps behind him, terrified of the spectacle. Finally he tore his gaze away from Raven and turned towards the mercenaries.

"Alright, _écoutez_! The Hunter is currently outside our _protecteur_ _barrière_, along with some added _muscle_ to keep the Titans away from here. But in the event that something manages to get past them, your task will be to _protéger_ Raven at all cost. I expect each and every one of you to lay your lives on the line to keep any and all _menaces_ as far away from Raven as _humainement possible_. And mark my words; if an _ennemi_ so much as manages to touch her, I'll _personnellement_ skin you all alive! _C'est clair_?" he ordered, gaining several fearful "yes sir!" even though they did not understand that last question. They all began to disperse when an echoing wail emerged from the chasm, causing them all to freeze up in sudden terror. Many of them even began to question if the money was worth this. Noticing the sudden reluctance in his subordinates, Iron Mask pulled out a gun and shot the nearest one in the head. All heads turned to Iron Mask in shock as the dead body collapsed to the ground.

"_Merde! _What are you all waiting for, a good luck kiss? Get into your damn _positions_!" he snarled out in utter contempt. With this newfound motivation, they all hastily scrambled to do as ordered, lest they be the next one with a bullet in the head. With a tired sigh, Iron Mask holstered his gun and turned back to Raven.

"You better not die on me now. I've grown quite fond of you" he said.

…..

It was time now, the Titans had all gathered in the living room and they were all ready for battle. They were all gathered around a single object lying on the kitchen counter: Raven's mirror.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" Robin asked, obviously concerned. And who would not be, they were invading a hostile mind with no idea of what to expect in there. Beast boy just nodded his head, a determined expression on his face. Cyborg then stepped forward and placed a hand on Beast boy's shoulder.

"You just make it back in one piece, you got me" he ordered, earning a smile and another nod.

"It is time" Doctor Fate suddenly said from next to Beast boy. Without further delay, Beast boy picked up the mirror and stared intently into it; waiting for it to activate. After several minutes and nothing happening, Beast boy turned back to the team while laughing nervously and rubbing the back of his head.

"Uhm… does anyone know how to get this thing start…" he began to say when suddenly a massive talon rose out of the mirror and grabbed hold of Beast boy, who emitted a startled yelp as he was first tossed around like a ragdoll before being pulled inside the mirror. Doctor Fate was quick to grab hold of Beast boy before his whole body was gone and together they were both pulled inside, leaving behind a trio of wide eyed teens.

"Now what?" Cyborg asked, finding nothing else to say. Robin shook his head before addressing his team.

"Now we do our job" he said grimly. Neither Cyborg nor Starfire said anything else, they just followed Robin as they headed out.

…..

The two of them emerged right above a floating rock in the middle of space. Doctor Fate was quick to levitate himself and gently land on the ground. Beast boy however was not as lucky as he fell face first onto the rock hard surface with a small thud.

"Ouch" he grumbled out as he stood back up, massaging his face along the way. Doctor Fate meanwhile was observing the surroundings with keen interest.

"Interesting" he said. And while he was admiring the scenery, Beast boy focused on finding a path. But strangely, this time no path formed for them to use; they were stranded on this rock.

"Beast boy, this is supposed to be the domain for Raven's emotions, was it?" Doctor Fate suddenly asked.

"Yeah?" Beast boy answered hesitantly, unsure what his point was.

"Then where are they now?" he continued. Now that he mentioned it, Beast boy also began wondering; where was everyone?

"Right over here!" a loud and cheerful voice called out from behind them. When they turned around, they found Raven standing there. But this one was dressed in a pink version of her armor and it lacked the spikes and the menacing aura. She also had a huge smile plastered on her face, not a sadistic or an amused smile but a happy smile. Best boy was quick to recognize this particular figure.

"Happy?" he asked, she in turn gave a good natured laugh.

"The one and only" she said proudly. Doctor Fate was carefully analyzing this figure.

"So you're Raven's happy emotion" he stated. Happy turned her attention to him, still smiling.

"Yep, you got that right Fate, and welcome to Nevermore! Hey, you wanna play tag with me?" she asked like a child. Beast boy quickly stepped in.

"Listen, we'd love to stay and play, but we're kinda in a hurry here and really need to go" he explained before turning around and walking towards Doctor Fate, hoping that he knew where they should be going. No sooner had he turned his back to her when a high pitched shriek echoed across Nevermore. Turning back in shock, Beast boy found that a four eyed raven had appeared on Happy's shoulder and was screeching for all it was worth.

"Sorry, can't let you go any further" Happy said, still smiling and sounding as cheerful as before.

"You want to stop Raven, and since I'm a part of Raven I have to stop you" she explained. Both Beast boy and Doctor Fate made themselves ready for battle.

"You can't possibly beat both of us" Doctor Fate stated as his fists became encased in a golden light. Happy just laughed, as if it was a very good joke.

"You're right, I hardly know how to fight to begin with. But I only need to raise the alarm, and soon all the other emotions will be coming" she said cheerfully, not sounding the least bit angry or troubled.

"So if I were you, I'd start running my legs off" she added in a sing song voice. And she seemed to be right, for already in the distance they could see several different colored dots flying with all speed towards them.

"Crap!" Beast boy said as he turned into a hawk and bolted in the opposite direction, along with Doctor Fate.

"Bye, bye!" Happy shouted to them while waving her hand at them.


	23. Chapter 23: The end part 3

Jump City

The crater

If there was one word that could describe the Hunter's current assignment, it was boring. He was currently leaning against a half broken wall, his gaze constantly travelling between the massive red dome surrounding the crater and Jinx standing as still as a statue beside him. Every time he looked at the undead creature, his lips would always turn into a sneer underneath his gasmask. He never liked undead to begin with, in his mind you could not hunt and kill them since they were already dead. Besides, those empty and soulless eyes this one had was a little unnerving, it truly felt like looking at a corpse every time she made eye contact with him.

"Is there even a shred of humanity left inside that lifeless husk of yours?" he asked disdainfully. He received no answer from her, not that he had expected one to begin with.

"_Boss, we got Titans inbound!" _a mercenary suddenly called from the Hunter's radio. He snatched it up instantly.

"How many of them and how far away are they?" he asked into the radio. There were a few seconds of static before a reply came.

"_I only count three of them, but they'll be right on top of us in less than five minutes!" _the scout reported. The Hunter meanwhile nodded his head in thought.

"Very well, keep tabs on their movements and alert the rest of the boys that we got company" he instructed, receiving a quick affirmative before the link went dead. The Hunter turned his to look over his shoulder while lightly tapping the wall.

"Hey, I hope you're ready to rumble soon, because the party's about to get started" he said humorlessly before hefting up a massive sniper rifle that had lain on the ground. From within the ruined building a heavy grunt was heard while something large moved in the shadows. The Hunter looked at Jinx, who had still not moved.

"You know the drill, so let's get into position" he said before running up to another building and started climbing up a ladder to the roof. Jinx meanwhile ran to a building on the opposite side and with a display of acrobatic skills, she jumped through a crashed window to land on the floor inside with the graze of a cat. With everyone in position, the Hunter was stationed on a rooftop with a superb line of sight along the road and any adjacent rooftops while Jinx was crouched at the ready in the opposite building with the intention of ambushing anyone getting close and finally the massive creature was ready to burst out and pummel anyone who crossed his line of sight.

"Now we wait" the Hunter muttered as he looked through the scope of his rifle, scanning along the road for any sign of movement.

…..

"Watch out!" Doctor Fate shouted at Beast boy. He in turn lowered himself in altitude just enough to miss the bolt of black energy that streaked through the air where he had been just seconds earlier. Beast boy, in his hawk form, spared a quick glance behind him to catch a glimpse of four Ravens chasing them. He recognized the green one as Bravery and guessed that the yellow one with the glasses was Intelligence, but was having a hard time figuring out who the orange one and the brown one were. Intelligence made a few hand gestures before pointing in two different directions. Bravery and the brown one nodded and immediately broke off from the group and flew away.

"Don't look back Beast boy, just keep moving!" Doctor Fate shouted.

"But they've split up!" Beast boy shouted back. Doctor Fate had earlier used a small spell that temporarily allowed Beast boy to communicate with him when in animal form.

"I know, they're trying to encircle us!" Doctor Fate answered. With a newfound determination, they both increased speed. Sure, the two of them could probably defeat four of Raven's emotions, but they had no way of knowing where all the others were. For all they knew, the other emotions could very well be heading towards them this very moment. Therefore, a time consuming battle was not what they needed.

"Up ahead!" Beast boy suddenly shouted. Doctor Fate looked to what he was seeing and spotted a massive wall with a single entrance through it. Standing at the entrance was a grey colored Raven who looked quite timid with her downcast look and her hands clapped together in a nervous manner.

"What's that?" Doctor Fate asked in confusion. Beast boy of course recognized the place, he had been through it before.

"That's Timid's maze! We can lose our pursuers in there!" he shouted while diving towards the entrance. But Doctor Fate suddenly noticed two silhouettes closing in from both sides. They were using the flying rocks as cover and did a good job of masking their presence, but Doctor Fate still managed to catch a quick glimpse of a green colored cloak from one of them.

"Then we better hurry! They're about to cut us off!" he shouted back to Beast boy. Realizing that their cover had been blown, Bravery and the brown one threw subtlety to the wind and dived with all speed towards them. Behind Fate and Beast boy, Intelligence and the orange one also picked up speed. Now it was a race of who reached the maze first, and all participants were determined to be the first ones. But Bravery suddenly had an idea, she landed on the side of a flying rock and using it as leverage she propelled herself forward.

"Crap!" Beast boy said out loud when he saw Bravery streak towards him like a green missile. She was just about to reach Beast boy when Doctor Fate created a golden barrier right in front of her. Already travelling at high speeds, she could not slow down in time. All she could do was widen her eyes in surprise before crashing head first into it. Now barely conscious from that hit, Bravery plummeted towards the ground. The orange one immediately broke off and caught Bravery with her powers before gently lowering her to the ground. The other two emotions were temporarily distracted by the fall of Bravery, giving Beast boy and Doctor Fate a much needed breather. They both put on more speed and before the other emotions could act, they had flown right over Timid and entered the maze. Realizing that their quarry had escaped, the emotions slowed down and approached the entrance. Both Intelligence and the brown one landed at the entrance of the maze, with the brown one striding right up to the fearful Timid.

"Why the hell did you not try to stop them?!" she shouted at Timid, who visibly covered in the presence of the angry emotion.

"I wanted to, Jealousy. But they didn't like me anymore, and if I would have tried to stop them and failed you wouldn't like me anymore either" she said in a weak and small voice. Jealousy looked ready to do something horribly unpleasant to Timid, but Intelligence intervened.

"Whether she had stopped them or not is irrelevant at this point Jealousy. Currently we need to focus our efforts more on locating them before they are out of our reach" she stated matter-of-factly. Jealousy snorted just as the orange one arrived while carrying a still dazed Bravery with her powers. As she reached the other three emotions, she unceremoniously dumped Bravery on the ground.

"Hey, can't you be more careful Rude?" Jealousy asked as Bravery was jolted fully awake from her rough handling. Rude just scratched her ass with a look of apathy on her face.

"Whatever" she said, not sounding the least bit troubled. A groan from Bravery drew everyone's attention as she stumbled back to her feet while clutching her face.

"Alright, where the hell is that golden bucket head? I'm so gonna kick his ass!" she grumbled out.

"They escaped" Intelligence calmly said, gaining a string of curses from Bravery.

"Well, shouldn't we go after them?" Jealousy asked. Intelligence calmly took her glasses and polished them before placing them back.

"No. in our current situation it would be more prudent to await further orders" she explained. Bravery did not like that idea and made it clear with a heated glare at Intelligence. She in turn met the glare with a calm expression.

"Do any of you have a better idea?" she asked. No one made a move at first, but suddenly Rude raised her hand. Everyone was immediately looking at her expectantly. Rude then let out a loud burp, earning more than one heated glare and irritated growl.

…..

The part of Raven's mind known as Nevermore had always looked the same; individual parts belonging to certain emotions and therefore tailored after their tastes along with all the floating rocks in the middle of space. But since Mal'Bolough's appearance, there was one new addition to Nevermore in the form of a large tower of gothic architecture. It was of a deep black color with gargoyles and spikes decorating its exterior. The front gate was shaped like the maw of a massive dragon ready to swallow up anyone daring to step into is mouth. At the top of the tower there was a throne room, bathed in unnatural darkness, and at the top of a set of stairs there was a throne where Mal'Bolough was seated upon. His massive form was obscured by darkness that spewed forth from his corrupted body like smoke. He was kept company in his throne room by one of Raven's emotions, this one wearing a blood red colored cape and four infernal eyes glared out from underneath her hood. This was the emotion Rage and the one emotion with the strongest connection to Raven's daemonic heritage, this emotion being the catalyst for many of Raven's destructive outbursts in the past. She was currently sitting at the bottom of the stairs idly toying with a knife when a raven came flying and landed on her shoulder.

"It seems we have intruders" she said to Mal'Bolough, who leaned forward on his throne in curiosity.

"**Who?"** he asked in his booming voice.

"Beast boy and Doctor Fate. Now if you'll excuse me, I'm going to exterminate these pests before they infect my home" Rage said as she got up and was about to walk away.

"**No, you're staying right here" **Mal'Bolough stated. Rage immediately spun around, anger swelling in her eyes at being ordered around like that. Mal'Bolough's mouth temporarily became visible in the darkness and it formed into a sadistic smile.

"**Why bother going after them? They'll be coming right to us once they're pointed in the right direction. And when they come here, we will strike them down together" **Mal'Bolough explained smugly. But Rage did not seem the least bit swayed by his idea.

"Listen, you may have Raven dancing to your tune, but if you think for a second that I'll be taking orders from you then you're sorely…" Rage began to say before a tendril of darkness shot out and snared itself around her throat. She was hoisted into the air as she fervently clawed at the thing constricting her air supply. From the shadows, Mal'Bolough glared at the emotion.

"**Don't you dare question me! I'm the master here and you **_**will **_**obey my commands! I may have granted Raven the power to let her emotions lose for once, but I can easily convince her that it would be best to lock you up again!" **he nearly shouted at Rage before dropping her back to the ground. Rage massaged her throat as she glared hatefully at the shadows concealing Mal'Bolough.

"**I'm beginning to see why Raven always had a tighter leash on you than any other emotion. Even though you hold the strongest portion of Raven's daemon powers, you are beginning to wear my patience thin with your continual rebellion" **he observed. Rage just glared daggers at him. _Just you wait, _she thought hatefully, _sooner or later I'll find a way to kick you out of the club house. _As she thought that, a grim smile appeared on her lips. _And then Raven won't have to share her mind and victory with you anymore. _

…..

Cyborg delivered an uppercut straight into a mercenary, sending him flying up a few good feet into the air while losing a couple of teeth. Before that unfortunate one even touched the ground, Cyborg had already turned his arm into a sonic cannon and blasted another one straight in the gut. Another mercenary hefted an RPG on his shoulder and took aim on Cyborg from behind. But Robin suddenly jumped in and kicked the RPG out of his grasp. A punch to the man's gut later and he was down for the count. Robin brought out his boo staff to vault right over another one and sweep his legs from under him before smashing the other end of the boo staff backwards, straight into the groin of a mercenary who had tried to sneak up on him. Five others were currently firing away with everything they had at the sky, trying to hit the nimble Starfire. With two well placed starbolts, she knocked out two of her attackers before diving in and knocking out a third with a blow straight to the face. The last remaining two tried to back away, but she picked both of them up and smashed their heads together.

"That's the last of them" Cyborg said as he nonchalantly threw an unconscious mercenary over his shoulder to crash straight into another mercenary who had just been about to regain consciousness.

"Good, then let's move on" Robin said as he walked over to his teammates.

"Yes, and I'm hoping that we do not run into anymore of these mercenaries" Starfire said as the group moved out.

"Yeah, and where the hell did Raven get all these goons from anyway?" Cyborg asked in annoyance.

"Doesn't matter, we'll beat them all even if she has a hundred of them" Robin stated. They kept on running down a road, heading with all speed towards the crater. In the distance they could see the protective dome surrounding it.

"Whoa, how are we supposed to break through that?" Cyborg asked as he stared wide eyed at the dome. Robin gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Any way we can" he simply said before rushing onwards, straight into the Hunter's arc of fire.

…..

"That's it. Just a little closer now" the Hunter mumbled to himself as he stared down the scope that was aimed straight at Robin. He had already compensated for wind, speed and distance to target. All that was left was to wait for the perfect moment to pull the trigger and Robin would be history. He could feel it approaching, just a few more steps for Robin and the Hunter would be ready to end it all. But without warning, the building next to Robin exploded in a shower of dust and concrete as something large barreled its way out.

"That brainless oaf!" the Hunter said irritably as his target's visibility was reduced to zero. The grumbled out a few other curses before placing away his sniper rifle and hefted an AK-47.

…..

The first sign that something was wrong was the building next to Robin being reduced to a pile of rocks as something big and angry smashed its way out. Robin barely managed to jump back and avoid getting his body squashed by the rampaging behemoth. Even though the assailant was still partially concealed by the dust cloud, Cyborg was able to identify him.

"Cinderblock! Didn't we lock you up or something?!" he shouted just as he fired his sonic cannon at the concrete monstrosity. Cinderblock gave a roar as he was hit in the shoulder, which seemed to do nothing more than anger him further. He charged in blind rage at Cyborg and smashed his fists down on him, or rather were he used to be as he had sidestepped just in time. Still, the shockwave created by the blow sent Cyborg flying into a nearby wall. Cinderblock was about to charge again but Starfire came at him and pelted him with starbolts, forcing him on the defense.

"Thanks Star!" Cyborg shouted as he powered up his sonic cannon and joined in on bombarding the monstrosity, pushing him ever so slowly back. Robin was about to join his friends in attacking Cinderblock, but was instead forced to take cover behind a pile of rubble as he found a hail of bullets coming down on him. Carefully peering around the edge, he spotted someone standing on a nearby rooftop. It did not take him long to figure out who it was.

"You two, deal with Cinderblock! I'm going after the Hunter!" he shouted to his friends before firing a grappling hook at another rooftop. He pulled himself up too fast for the Hunter to get a bead on him and just fired wildly, hoping that at least one bullet would hit. Cyborg and Starfire meanwhile were too busy to answer him as they kept up their barrage on Cinderblock. But just as it seemed that they could beat him, Jinx came jumping out of a window and attacked Cyborg. She tried to grab a hold of him, but Cyborg had learned from his last encounter and thus backed away from her. She tried jumping right at him, but he brought his sonic cannon right into her gut.

"Sorry about this" he said just as he fired off his sonic cannon at point blank range. Jinx was sent flying back and landed in a heap. But the undead creature was instantly back on her feet and attacked with renewed vigor.

Meanwhile, with one opponent distracted, Cinderblock could redirect his entire focus on Starfire. He picked up two chunks of concrete and threw them at her with a bestial roar. Starfire blasted away the first one before diving to avoid the second one. She then dived right at him and smashed with all her might straight into his chest. He was pushed back several yards, even digging two trenches in the ground with his feet as he was pushed along, but he barely felt that massive blow and in return brought both his hands down on Starfire. She was smashed into the ground with such force that a crater was formed.

As the two Titans continued with their own battles, Robin was leaping from rooftop to rooftop as fast as possible in order to avoid the hail of bullets from the Hunter. Finally he took one last leap towards the roof top that the Hunter occupied. The Hunter meanwhile had run out of ammo and was about to change magazine when Robin descended upon him. He came down with his steel tipped boots first on the AK-47 and broke it, knocking the Hunter back in the process. The moment his feet made contact with the roof, Robin brought out his boo staff and expertly twirled it around in his grip. The Hunter pulled out two bowie knives in response.

"You do know that you've already lost, right? Not only do you have to beat me and my goons, you have to face both Iron Mask and Raven. And trust me, you don't want to battle such a twisted combo" the Hunter stated. Robin did not answer immediately, instead he charged forwards with swing directed at the Hunter's ribs, which he blocked with his bowie knives. Their weapons were temporarily locked together as Robin leaned closer.

"Why do you even help them? Can't you see what they're trying to do?" he asked harshly. The Hunter narrowed his eyes behind his gasmask.

"My reasons are my own, bird boy" he countered as he pushed away from Robin. But Robin was not done with his questioning.

"Do you really think you'll get whatever they've promised you? What use will they have of someone like you once they have what they want?" he asked and finally got a reaction from the Hunter. He paused momentarily, doubt seeping into his mind. Robin was right; they were both half-daemons, so what use would they have of a lowly human? He suddenly shook his head. That did not matter anymore, he had gone too far to turn back now. He would just be on higher guard when around those two in the future.

"That's irrelevant at this stage. The only thing I care about at the moment is killing you" the Hunter stated monotonously. Seeing no other alternative, Robin simply nodded his head before charging again with the Hunter doing the same.

…..

The atmosphere in the crater was tense, really tense. The mercenaries were all debating whether they should just run as far away as possible from this place. And it was not money anymore that was motivating them to stay, but the psychopathic half daemon currently gazing at Raven's floating form. It looked like he was completely oblivious to what occurred around him as his eyes never left Raven. But suddenly he spun around while throwing his arms wide.

"Hey, I just remembered one thing; we must take a _photo_!" he shouted enthusiastically. All the mercenaries turned to him uncertainly. They could just not believe that he wanted to take a picture now of all times. Then again, they were dealing with an unhinged lunatic here. Seeing the men's hesitancy, Iron Mask took a few steps towards them.

"_Allez-y_, it can't be that bad? Just one single _photo_ with all of you lined up at the chasm" he said. None of them were particularly thrilled about the idea, but none of them were crazy enough to disobey Iron Mask. So with cautious steps they walked over and lined up at the chasm while Iron Mask produced a camera.

"Okay, now all of you smile!" he said as he aimed the camera. The mercenaries tried desperately to smile, but they all ended up with what looked more like disgusting deformities on their faces. Not that you could blame them, they were scared out of their minds by the dark and evil energy that was pulsating from the chasm, yet they were all equally afraid of their "boss". They all nearly jumped out of their skins when Iron Mask's camera flashed. When seeing his men's terrified expression, Iron Mask burst out laughing like he had just pulled some prank on them.

"Oh man, this one will _certainement_ go into my _album_" he said when he had finally calmed down. The mercenaries meanwhile began to break up while calming down their raging heartbeats.

"Oh and listen up, I'd like to make an _annonce_" Iron Mask called out before the men got very far. They all turned to regard him and Iron Mask could not help but let a sadistic smile form on his lips.

"I would like to thank you all very much for your hard work, but _malheureusement_ your _services_ are no longer _requis_… save for one more task" he said right before summoning a swarm of crows to attack the mercenaries. They all screamed like little girls as the crows came down upon them like a swarm of locusts on a field. They all fired wildly around them, trying to kill as many crows as possible, even killing some of their own by accident. But instead of devouring their prey like the crows usually did, they instead pushed and dragged them into the chasm. One by one, the mercenaries were thrown down with terrified screams tearing through their throats. Iron Mask calmly strode up to the edge of the chasm with his hands clasped behind his back.

"The _sacrifices_ have been made, now all that's left is waiting" he mused to himself. For several heartbeats, all that was heard was Raven's steady chanting. But then came a rumbling from the chasm, like the hungry belly of some gargantuan beast. Iron Mask carefully peered over the edge to see a hellish light shining at the bottom, growing ever stronger. It took him about a second to realize that it was not actually growing stronger, but coming closer. He jumped back just in time as what looked like lava erupted from the chasm before settling down to form a small lake. Above it, Raven had stopped her chanting and opened her eyes. She momentarily looked at Iron Mask, excitement shining in her left eye, before looking down on the lava.

"Let no joyful cry be heard this day. Let hate, sorrow and fear reign across the Earth. And let this day be cursed by us who opened the gateway of the damned" Raven chanted as black bolts of lightning shoot out of her body and into the lava. It began to churn and writhe, as if the lightning caused it pain, before swirling around like a maelstrom. It picked up speed as more lightning stabbed into it and above it all Raven smiled triumphantly.

"Now, by the will of Trigon's seed, I command you; rise and do my bidding!" she finished as a last bolt of dark lightning struck at its center and the lava erupted in a massive explosion. When it all settled down, the chasm had been turned into a swirling vortex of blood red energy. And soon, the first daemon came out of it. It was dressed in a blood red armor, covering all parts of its body except its cloven feet while wielding a wicked looking halberd. It looked around the place with its burning eyes before turning around and giving a loud bellow while making a gesture for something to follow. After the first daemon, more like it came marching out in military fashion, flanked by others and more hideous daemons; a goat-like creature that walked on two legs, a tentacle covered monstrosity that slowly drifted through the air, several hooded figures with beaks sticking out from underneath their robes, an armored rhino-looking creature with a red skinned daemon with horns riding on top of it, purple mantas drifting across invisible currents in the air and many more that defied reason or logic. They all suddenly stopped and looked up at Raven, waiting for orders. Raven could not help but smile maliciously, she would love to see the Titans trying to stop her now.

"Go forth and destroy the Teen Titans!" she shouted. As one, the daemonic army let out a savage roar before charging out like a blood crazed horde, each one hoping to please their new master by being the one to bring back the heads of these so called Teen Titans. Iron Mask was also about to join in the daemons mad dash after the Titans when Raven called his name. He quickly turned back and awaited whatever order he was to receive.

"The portal is still unstable and I'll need more time to stabilize it. While I do it I'll have a very limited ability to defend myself and if I'm interrupted during the process, the portal will collapse in on itself. So I need you to stay guard until I'm done" she explained to him. Iron Mask nodded his head before he had to hastily get out of the way, lest he be trampled underneath a stampeding horde of what looked like a crossbreed of horses and insects.

"You guys better _sauver_ something for _moi_ to kill!" he shouted to the charging horde, his words of course drowning among the roars, whoops, jeers, laughs and general noises of a crowd going out of control. He gave a deep sigh as he tried to find some place to stand in order to avoid getting crushed underfoot by this over enthusiastic army.

"I just hope that Raven finish _stabilisant_ that _portail_ soon. I'm really itching to spread some _chaos_ and _destruction_ now" he muttered to himself. Unknown to him, Raven had heard exactly what he had said, and she formed an amused smile on her lips. Still, there was something that was disturbing Raven. It almost felt like there was something in her head that should not be there. Whatever it was, hopefully Mal'Bolough could deal with it. And besides, how dangerous could it possibly be?

…..

Doctor Fate carefully peered around the edge of the wall and out through the exit. Seeing nothing but space and floating rocks in the distance, he relaxed and signaled for Beast boy to follow him. Exiting the maze that they had wandered in for God knows how long, they both looked around for the best route to take.

"Well, now what?" Beast boy suddenly asked, having turned back to his human form while they had trudged through the maze. Unknown to Beast boy, that very same question plagued Doctor Fate. They were in foreign territory, and its inhabitants were less than pleased that they were here.

"To be honest Beast boy, I don't know" he admitted. Beast boy's mood sunk like a rock from that statement.

"_**Then how about I give you a hand"**_ a voice said from all around them before a portal opened up beneath their feet. Before they could even react, they were sucked into it, to be dropped unceremoniously on a stone floor at the other end. When the two of them regained their bearings, they found themselves standing before Rage and Mal'Bolough. Sitting upon his throne, concealed by darkness, Mal'Bolough smiled down upon them.

"**Doctor Fate. What an unexpected pleasure to see you here in my domain" **he said in a mock friendly manner. Beast boy bristled with anger at that remark, along with Rage when he was not looking in her direction.

"This isn't your place. This is Raven's mind!" Beast boy furiously shouted at him. Doctor Fate placed a restraining hand on Beast boy's shoulder, lest he do something he will regret later on. Mal'Bolough turned his attention to the upstart who spoke up to him.

"**Ah, the green jokester. To be honest, I'm surprised you made it this far considering your skill and intelligence. And just so you know; this is just as much my place as it is Raven's now" **he stated in a condescending tone. Beast boy growled threateningly at him as his whole body tensed up like an animal about to attack.

"I want you out of Raven's mind, now!" he snarled out in anger. Both Rage and Doctor Fate looked at Beast boy in shock, never had they seen him this angry and serious. But Mal'Bolough just laughed at him.

"**You think to order me around here, and then expect me to comply? How incredibly naïve of you. Has it even occurred to you that Raven does not want me to leave?" **he inquired. Beast boy was gritting his teeth in anger and looked murderous. Doctor Fate meanwhile remained silent, deciding to let Beast boy handle these "negotiations". He himself was secretly preparing a spell in order to attack Mal'Bolough. Rage was also preparing an attack while this was transpiring.

"You twisted her mind against us! You stole her from us! And I'll do whatever it takes to kick you out of here!" Beast Boy shouted before he morphed into a rhino and charged at Mal'Bolough. But with a lazy wave of her hand, Mal'Bolough sent Beast boy flying into a wall. With that distraction gone, Mal'Bolough rose from his throne and with calm and calculated steps began to descend to Doctor Fate's level. But Beast boy came at him as a T-Rex while giving a savage roar. Yet even in this form was he no match for Mal'Bolough who simply grabbed his throat faster than he could see and smashed him into the ground, causing Beast boy to morph back to his human form from the pain. Doctor Fate in turn fired off a beam of golden energy, hitting Mal'Bolough right in the chest. It pushed him back a few steps, but that was it. Mal'Bolough in return ensnared Doctor Fate in a net of black energy web, conjured up all around Doctor Fate. He calmly strode up to stand in front of the now kneeling Beast boy.

"**You've lost. Raven belongs to me now and nothing you do can change it. Now you will both die here in despair, knowing you have failed in your mission. But rest assured, I'll be sure to tell Raven to be quick to send your friends to join you in the afterlife" **Mal'Bolough said as he raised his foot to crush Beast boy like a bug.

"You talk way too much" Rage suddenly said in an annoyed tone from behind him as she sent a blast of dark energy into his back, causing him to stumble over Beast boy before crashing to the floor. Mal'Bolough was never even given chance to retaliate before a massive black fist descended on his back, creating a crater shaped like Mal'Bolough. He gave another roar while letting his power explode from his body, destroying the fist and sending Doctor Fate and Beast boy flying away. He stumbled back to his feet and turned an accusing glare at the smirking Rage.

"Did you really think that I'd be your loyal lapdog forever? Hate to break it to you, but I'm putting you out of business" Rage explained as she formed a massive black talon and slashed across Mal'Bolough's chest. He roared in pain as he stumbled back more.

"**Insolent worm! I'll make you suffer for this!"** he shouted in anger before launching a wall of Nightfire at Rage. She formed a barrier of black energy shaped like a wedge, causing the unholy flames to flow around it. Rage smiled smugly as she dissolved the barrier to see the dumbstruck look on Mal'Bolough.

"**How is this possible? I'm the source of Raven's powers now, so where did you get all this power from?"** he demanded from her, causing Rage to laugh. But the laugh kept growing darker and deeper in tone, as if someone else began to take over her voice.

"**Come now, you didn't really think I'd let you trespass on my property"** a male and daemonic voice echoed from Rage throat. Mal'Bolough narrowed his eyes at her in sudden understanding.

"**Trigon"** he spat out in contempt, earning another laugh from the daemonic entity.

"**Correct. Even though Raven destroyed me a year ago, a small part of me will always exist inside her until the day she dies. Although I only cared about Raven until the point that she had served her small usefulness to me in the past, I have to admit that it warms my black heart to see her follow in her daddy's footsteps" **Trigon admitted through Rage while wiping away an imaginary tear. Mal'Bolough glared even harder at Trigon now.

"**How did you even get out of whatever pit Raven had you trapped in and what do you even hope to accomplish?" **he asked suspiciously. Trigon smiled sinisterly at him as he contemplated whether to answer or not.

"**Believe it or not, but you were the one who allowed me to break free. Your daemonic power that you've pumped through my daughter not only strengthened her, but me as well. As to why I'm here; I'm not even near strong enough to take over Raven now and I personally don't care what she does with her life now, all I care about is making sure that you have no further part in it" **he finally answered as Rage's body was engulfed in a crimson glow. She grew in height, her body becoming more muscular and ripping apart the armor she wore while her feet became cloves. Her hair grew longer and bleached while a pair of horns grew on her head to become like a crown. Her skin became blood red while a loincloth appeared on her figure. When the light finally disappeared, Rage was no longer there, in her place was now Trigon. Mal'Bolough sneered at the red skinned daemon.

"**You never did like me, did you?" **he asked sarcastically before launching a beam of dark energy at Trigon, who countered with a beam of red energy. The two attacks met with a cataclysmic explosion that shattered pillars and cracked the walls, but both of them continued to pour more energy into their attacks. It turned into a test of endurance as their beams kept pushing at each other, both trying to push the other back but neither succeeding. And as the battle between these titanic opponents raged on, Doctor Fate and Beast boy were just stumbling back to their feet after having been smashed into the wall with bone shattering force. They were both temporarily entranced by the titanic struggle occurring before their very eyes. But Beast boy suddenly shook his head before turning to Doctor Fate.

"We don't have time for this" he simply said before sprinting away, steering clear of the clash between daemons, who had now abandoned their magical attacks and had simply rushed in to try to tear each other to pieces in a brutal hand to hand combat. Doctor Fate quickly followed after the green changeling. The two of them made it over to Mal'Bolough's throne, trying desperately not to draw the attention of the two daemons that seemed to have forgotten about them entirely.

"Okay, now what do we do?" Beast boy asked, but Doctor Fate had no answer. At that moment, Trigon came crashing into the stairs, body covered with deep gashes. Beyond him, Mal'Bolough was equally worn down, but he had plenty of strength left and could keep fighting indefinitely.

"**NOW YOU DIE!"** Mal'Bolough suddenly roared at them as he took to the air and sent a wave of dark energy at them. Doctor Fate was just about to counter the attack, even though he knew it was too strong for him to handle, when Trigon intercepted the attack with a red energy barrier. Both Beast boy and Doctor Fate were left speechless from that. Why would Trigon help them?

"**Don't get any funny ideas now. I only saved you because you are still of some use to me. Go back to the real world and destroy the crystal Mal'Bolough is hiding in" **he suddenly ordered them. Doctor Fate said nothing, but Beast boy did not take it well to be ordered by an enemy.

"Hold on, who made you our leader?" he accused angrily. Trigon turned his head slightly to give him a toothy smile.

"**Well if you prefer, you can always stay here and be torn to pieces by whoever wins this battle" **he offered humorlessly. Beast boy grumbled out something inaudible, but said nothing more. Even he knew when he was beaten.

"**If there are no more objections, I think it's time for you to leave"** Trigon stated as his eyes glowed an even more intense red light than before and four beams of crimson energy shot out of them.

"Wait, how are we supposed to get to Raven in…" Beast boy had enough time to shout out before he and Doctor Fate were hit by the beams and just vanished. With the distractions gone, Trigon turned back to his opponent who was eyeing him skeptically.

"**Have you sunken so low that you're prepared to join up with mortals who used to oppose you?" **Mal'Bolough asked. Trigon gave him a diabolical smile in return.

"**If it means getting rid of you once and for all, then I can live with it" **he answered before giving a roar and charging at Mal'Bolough, determined to complete the work he and his fellow daemons started all those millennia ago.

…..

Dodge, counter, block, strike, dodge again. It was like a dance of death for Robin and the Hunter as both of them tried again and again to strike each other down. The Hunter tried a roundhouse kick at Robin, who dodged underneath it and darted towards the Hunter with an uppercut which the Hunter side stepped before driving a knee into Robin's side. He gave a grunt of pain but managed to leap back just in time to avoid getting impaled by a bowie knife. The two began circling each other. While the Hunter looked relatively fine, Robin was panting from exhaustion. It was clear that Robin would not last much longer if the fight continued in this manner.

"How long do you think you can last? An hour? Two? It doesn't really matter, because one way or the other; you've already lost" the Hunter stated tiredly. That only served to boil Robin's blood in anger. He was about to snap back at him when both of them heard a bestial roar flow through the air. No sooner had it died away before a daemonic creature crashed down on the roof behind the Hunter on its cloves, body covered by a blood red armor and a halberd held in its hands. The Hunter cast a quick glance over his shoulder before returning his focus to Robin again.

"It seems that you've got even less time than I suspected. Now with the portal open, there's nothing you can do to stop Raven" he stated. He was about to say more, but whatever words that he had planned on leaving his lips never reached that far until the daemon behind him impaled him on its halberd. Robin looked on in horrid shock as the Hunter was lifted into the air, causing him to sink even further down on the halberd. He made a gurgling noise, his lung being punctured and flooded with blood, while he craned his neck to catch a glimpse of his killer. Surprisingly enough, he felt no fear at his impending death, he felt more angry and irritated.

"Why that little…" was the last words uttered by the Hunter before his body was consumed by hellfire from the inside out. The daemon nonchalantly dusted off any ashes left on his blade before turning his attention to Robin.

"**Lady Raven has demanded your head be delivered to her, along with those of your companions. She will be most pleased when I return with your skull on my halberd" **the daemon said with a voice that sounded like grinding stones. Robin instantly snapped back to reality and with a grim expression made himself ready to battle this new foe.

"It ain't over yet" he retorted before charging. Meanwhile, Cyborg and Starfire were also experiencing the sudden surge of new foes as they were assailed by dozens of daemons of all shapes and sizes. Cyborg found himself locked in battle with an armored rhino and its crazy rider who was lashing out with a saw bladed whip at anything that got too close. Starfire found no respite in the air as blue mantas with razor sharp teeth were constantly trying to kamikaze her.

"Hey, who invited you second rate Halloween freaks to the party?" Cyborg shouted as he fired off his sonic cannon at the rhino, the shot harmlessly bouncing off its armored hide and instead nailing a goat-headed thing sneaking around the rubble. Though it seemed that even though the daemons were ordered to kill the Teen Titans they did not seem to care about distinguishing who exactly was a Titans, exemplified by several of them attacking Cinderblock and Jinx. Cinderblock being his thick-headed himself was not bothered that much by these turn of events and simply saw this as a chance to crush more squishy things, so with that in mind he plunged headlong into the advancing horde of daemons, sending dozens of them flying with each swing of his massive fists while letting out strange roars that resembled a raspy laugh. Jinx, although nothing more than a puppet on Raven's strings, had enough sense left in herself to recognize a threat to her continued existence and made ready to defend herself against these new opponents. But suddenly she froze up as Raven's voice echoed in her head, saying but a single sentence that sealed Jinx's fate.

"_I have no further use of you" _and just like that, the last thread keeping Jinx trapped in the world of the living was severed and her dead body collapsed to the ground as her freed spirit departed. Her demise occurred without notice as everyone else was busy trying to survive the onslaught of daemons.

…..

Raven was currently experiencing a great strain. She was trying to stabilize the portal but something was disrupting her flow of energy. It felt as if there was some damn war going on inside her head.

"_Mal'Bolough, what the hell is going on?" _she asked in frustration.

"_**Can't talk right now. I'm having a 'chat' with your dear old father"**_ Mal'Bolough answered. Raven was certain that her heart skipped a beat from that.

"_How did… never mind! Can you handle it?" _Raven asked. There was no answer for a few moments after that and Raven started thinking that something had happened.

"_**No problem. He may have been all powerful in the past, but he's nothing more than a shadow hiding out in your mind now. I'll have dealt with him soon. But be careful, I'm afraid you'll soon have some uninvited guests popping up" **_Mal'Bolough finally answered. Raven instantly tensed up, she could not afford anyone interfering at this critical stage.

"Iron Mask! Keep your eyes open, we got company arriving any minute now!" she shouted urgently. The crater was instantly flooded with crows as Iron Mask went into search and destroy mode. The first wave of daemons had already moved out and Raven would not summon anymore until the portal was stabilized. His crows searched everywhere while Iron Mask was perched atop a boulder and kept a constant watch. No one was getting anywhere near Raven, not without going through him first. But without warning, Raven gave a startled and painful scream as a fork of red lightning shot out of her head to explode a few yards away. Without even thinking about what it was, Iron Mask quickly ran and placed himself between Raven and whatever it was.

"… time?" Beast boy finished his sentence as the dust settled to reveal Doctor Fate and Beast boy standing where the bolt had struck. Surveying his surroundings, Beast boy found himself surrounded by crows and both Iron Mask and Raven in front of him.

"Oh, like this" he said mostly to himself. Doctor Fate meanwhile was making himself ready for battle while Iron Mask glared at them both.

"I don't know how you got here in the first place, but frankly I don't care_ beaucoup_. I can't allow you to _interrompre_ Raven right now, so I'll _simplement_ tear both of you to pieces here and now" he said before signaling his crows to attack. Doctor Fate instantly brought up a dome of golden energy to protect the two of them.

"Listen Beast boy, you must stop whatever Raven's trying to do while I deal with Iron Mask!" he ordered. Beast boy just nodded, a grim determination etched into his face.

"On my signal… NOW!" Doctor Fate shouted as he dropped the barrier and unleashed a shockwave of golden energy to knock back the crows. Beast boy instantly morphed into a cheetah and darted forward, running with all speed towards Raven. Iron Mask saw this and with a desperate gleam in his eyes tried to intercept him.

"_Oh, ça va pas non!_" he shouted as he drew a gun from his belt. But as he tried to squeeze the trigger, he found his hand being sliced off by a blade of golden energy just before his body was bombarded with golden blades.

"You've got problems of your own" Doctor Fate stated as he blasted Iron Mask back. The crows immediately made him a priority target and came at him with everything they had. With all the obstacles gone, Beast boy picked up his speed to reach Raven, who had herself realized that her guardian was currently unavailable and tried to nail Beast boy with several dark energy bolts. But most of Raven's energy and focus was being directed at maintaining the portal, and Beast boy was easily able to evade her poorly aimed attacks. Finally he reached the edge of the portal and with a massive leap, he hurled himself at Raven. He morphed midflight into an armadillo and curled together before barreling into a stunned Raven, knocking her to the ground. With its stabilizing point gone, the portal began to lose focus. It twisted and churned, trying to break loose from its boundaries. As this happened, Beast boy morphed back to human and stood back up. He looked with astonishment at the slowly collapsing portal.

"I did it" Beast boy said in a low tone.

"But I'll make you wish that you'd never done it!" Raven snarled at him in a voice drenched with anger. Beast boy visibly paled as he slowly turned around and with eyes wide from fright looked upon Raven, who was glaring with hate filled eyes at him while black energy spilled out of her body and the number 6 shone on her breastplate.

"You think that you've won something here today? That your little stunt has stopped me?" she asked mockingly before snorting.

"You've done nothing more than to piss me off and buy yourselves a few more minutes. I'll simply begin working on stabilizing the portal again before it closes up" she continued in that same mocking manner. She then raised her right hand as black flames ignited in her palm.

"Right after I've killed you, of course" she finished just as she launched a ball of black flames at Beast boy, who narrowly dodged it by morphing into a hummingbird. As he stared at Raven from the air, Beast boy gave a mental gulp in fear. Last time they had faced, Raven had taken down all the Titans by herself without even breaking a sweat. His chances of beating her alone were practically nonexistent.

"If you believe in any deities, Beast boy, now would be a good time to pray for their help" Raven said as two massive fists were launched from her hands and reached out to crush Beast boy. He narrowly evaded them and dived straight towards Raven. Just when he was about to collide with her, he morphed into a crocodile. But he just went right through her as if she was nothing but air and the moment he had passed through her, she swung around with a blade of dark energy now formed in her left hand and slashed across his back. Normally the cut would have been deep enough to sever the spine but Beast boy's thicker crocodile hide made it into a simple flesh wound. But the pain was still enough for him to lose focus and morph back into human, just in time to receive a power enhanced kick straight into his wound. He flew right into the wall mere seconds before a black fist smashed him even deeper. He gave a groan of pain as a cold and metallic hand seized him by the neck and threw him across the crater to land in a heap of limbs. Beast boy could not help but groan in despair, the fight had barely even begun and already he was broken and beaten on the ground. Yet instead of making him sink deeper in despair, that thought almost worked like an adrenaline boost as he suddenly found the strength to get back up and face Raven again.

"I won't go down that easily" he snarled out with determination. Raven just shrugged her shoulders, obviously not impressed by his display of bravery.

"Easy or hard, it doesn't matter in the end. You'll still go down" she retorted as her fists became encased in dark energy.

…..

Things could have looked better for the Titans. They were currently outnumbered and nearly surrounded by the daemonic horde. Cinderblock was still going at it, crushing anything that got too close to him, but he was starting to slow down from exhaustion. All the Titans had backed themselves onto a roof and were trying to hold the daemons at bay. Starfire and Cyborg were blasting away at any daemon that popped up in their line of sight while Robin was using his gadgets and martial arts to beat them off the roof. They were currently holding their own, but it was clear that they could not hold out forever. Sooner or later they would grow tired and become overrun. Robin delivered a kick straight into the face of an eight eyed thing with tentacles for limbs and knocked it back, straight into a similar daemon and together they tumbled off the roof.

"Yo Robin! We can't keep this up for much longer!" Cyborg shouted just as he blasted a flying manta straight out of the skies. Robin knew that he was right, they just could not win this way. Absentmindedly, his hand drifted to a golden dagger hidden in his utility belt. He had been given it from Doctor Fate for one single purpose before they had departed.

…..

_Flashback_

"Robin, I have something that you'll need" Doctor Fate said as he held out a dagger for Robin to take. He in turn recoiled from the lethal weapon as if it was a plague.

"I don't use those kinds of weapons" Robin stated.

"This is not a normal weapon, it's been enchanted with potent magic to counter Mal'Bolough's power. With this, you'll be able to shatter the crystal that he inhabits. I already possess a similar dagger, but it would be wise to have a back-up in case I fail" Doctor Fate explained. Robin looked between the offered dagger and Doctor Fate with a skeptical look in his eyes.

"If the means to destroy Mal'Bolough really existed, why hasn't anyone tried to use it against him before?" he asked. Doctor Fate gave a tired sigh from that, cold facts about why no one had done it before coming to the fore of his mind.

"Many have tried, but none so far had the will to do it. Mal'Bolough's corrupting power would always make them take the crystal for themselves rather than rid the world of it" he answered sadly. Robin once again looked upon the dagger, understanding dawning to him. Mal'Bolough was a corrupting disease that infected anyone too close, twisting even the most noble of causes to something dark and perverted; just like he had done to Raven now. Without another word spoken, he snatched up the dagger and tucked it away in his belt before anyone else could see it.

…..

As the memories came to him, a cold determination settled in Robin. In his mind, he knew that there was only one way to end this madness for good; destroy Mal'Bolough. He was saddened by what that monster had done to Raven, but there was nothing more he could do for her. She was a criminal now, a threat to this city. And it was Robin's duty to stop her, regardless of his or his team's personal feelings.

"Cyborg! You think you can hold out longer if you barricade yourselves in the building?!" he shouted over his shoulder as he kicked another daemon off the roof. Cyborg gave him a quick puzzled look before delivering an uppercut to a winged daemon with red skin. Both his arms then transformed into a pair of sonic cannons.

"Yeah, I think so" he answered while firing wildly with his sonic cannons.

"Then you and Starfire get downstairs! Try to hold them at bay here for as long as possible!" Robin shouted. Both Cyborg and Starfire looked at him in surprise now.

"But what about you?" Starfire asked in concern. Robin turned his gaze away from his friends and glared towards the red dome in the distance.

"I'm going to finish this battle once and for all" he said darkly before sprinting towards the edge of the roof. As he reached its edge, he leaped across it to land on the next roof and kept on sprinting. Many of the daemons saw one of their quarries escaping and immediately set off in hot pursuit, but there were still plenty of them left to occupy Starfire and Cyborg. Starfire stared with wide eyes at the ever shrinking form of Robin and was about to set off in pursuit to help him, but a metallic hand on her shoulder stopped her.

"You heard the man, Star. I don't like this more than you but we have no choice right now" he said sternly, gaining a reluctant nod from Starfire before the two of them bolted to the staircase.

…..

Another black fist impacted against Beast boy's stomach, knocking the air out of him for the tenth time, or was it eleventh? It did not matter that much to Beast boy because seconds later he received Raven's fist into his face. He stumbled back in disorientation before a black energy whip coiled around his throat and smashed him into the ground. As he lay there groaning in pain, Raven walked up to stand next to his battered form.

"Now this is what I call a disappointment. You're barely putting up a descent fight" she said disdainfully, her lips curling into a sneer. She bent down and grasped his throat with her gauntleted hand and with no effort at all lifted Beast boy into the air. He clawed fervently at her armored hand constricting his air supply, but his eyes never left hers. She cocked her head in curiosity as her right eye seemed to be drilling straight into Beast boy's very soul.

"Why aren't you fighting me at full strength?" she suddenly asked in genuine curiosity. Raven could easily see that there was still plenty of fighting spirit left in Beast boy, but for some reason he was holding back. And Raven so wanted to know what it could possibly be.

"I'm trying to… find the answer for… a question" Beast boy managed to answer in a strained voice, barely able to get the sentence out thanks to the pressure Raven was applying to his throat. It was not enough to choke him, but it did hamper his ability to breathe normally. Raven raised an inquisitive eyebrow at the answer.

"And what question could that be?" she asked. And against any common sense, Beast boy decided to be a smart-ass and smile at her.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he asked sarcastically with that big goofy grin still on his face. Raven snarled at him and without any further words, smashed him back into the ground before throwing him into a wall. Beast boy quickly collapsed to his knees, his battered body barely able to support his own weight after all the beating. He spitted out blood from his mouth as he carefully stood back up, preparing to enter the fray yet again.

...

"Hold still, you _Putain de merde_!" Iron Mask shouted as he sent swarms of crows after Doctor Fate, who kept teleporting to avoid them. He suddenly appeared behind Iron Mask and formed a massive blade of golden energy to slice him in half.

"Having trouble keeping up? Old age seems to be getting to you" Doctor Fate taunted. But Iron Mask's laughter was the only response he got. Too late did he notice the small C4 explosive strapped to Iron Mask's left leg. He brought up a shield in front of himself just as the explosive went off, shattering his shield and throwing him into a wall. Doctor Fate groaned in pain as he stood back up, just in time to see Iron Mask reform his body.

"I must say, I never expected the _rigide_ and _professionnel_ _Docteur_ Fate to ever crack a joke, even if it was second rate at best" he said amusedly. If it was not for the iron mask, Doctor Fate was certain that he would have seen a smile on the madman's lips. Doctor Fate repressed the urge to snarl at his opponent and instead made ready to attack again. But suddenly he sensed something, a form of premonition. How he did it he could not say, but he felt that he would not be the one to end this battle, but someone else. Without a second thought, he launched a bolt of golden energy at Iron Mask, who easily sidestepped it.

"Was that really your best shot? I certainly hope not, because then this _bataille_ would get way too boring for me" he stated. Doctor Fate just mentally snorted at him. _Idiot, _he thought. That bolt had never been meant for Iron Mask in the first place. It was meant to serve another purpose. _It's all up to you now Robin, _Doctor Fate thought as he shielded himself from a sudden onslaught of crows.

…..

This was not good for Robin, not good at all. He had almost reached the dome, but he had no way in and those bloody daemons were gaining on him. He could almost feel them breathing down his neck, spurring him to run ever faster down the road. He could see the red dome growing ever closer. Just a few more moments, and he would run straight into it. Not that it mattered without a way inside.

"I need a damn miracle right about now!" he said to himself. And as if some divine power had answered his call, a bolt of golden energy impacted with the dome from the inside. It tore a small hole in it, big enough for a man to fit through. With newfound hope and determination, Robin surged forward in a sudden display of strength, catching the pursuing daemons off guard. Crying out in defiance to tired muscles, Robin leaped through the hole just before the dome poured its energy to close up the hole. Now Robin was trapped on the inside, and the only way out was by stopping Raven.

…..

"Goddammit! Why won't you fight back?!" Raven shouted in outrage as she sent Beast boy crashing into the wall yet again. The reason for her anger being that for the last several minutes, Beast boy had done nothing but try to dodge her attacks. He had not even tried to attack her back, even though he had been given several opportunities to do so. And his constant refusal to even answer her when she questioned him about it was driving her insane. Beast boy himself had by this point withdrawn so deep into himself that he barely felt the blows being dealt to him, all his focus was on that one single question he wanted an answer to. Raven had had enough of this and stormed over to Beast boy and hoisted him into the air again to glare hatefully into his eyes.

"Why are you just taking all the beating I'm giving you? Why do you remain silent? WHY AREN'T YOU EVEN TRYING TO KILL ME?!" she demanded of him, shouting out the last part. That finally got a reaction as Beast boy weakly raised his head to stare back at her.

"Why aren't you?" he asked. Raven's face temporarily lost its anger as she stared in surprise and confusion at him. But her features were quickly returned to the usual hateful ones.

"What are you babbling about?" she asked harshly. Beast boy coughed a few times, spilling out blood from his mouth in the process, before answering.

"You're asking me why I'm not trying to kill you, but why aren't you killing me? Why do you prolong this battle by throwing me around like a ragdoll instead of ending it quickly? And do you remember that question I mentioned earlier? The question I've wanted answers to is this; why did you spare us earlier this evening?" Beast boy questioned, his strength returning with each word leaving his throat. Raven stared at him wide eyed, being caught completely unprepared by those questions. But she masked her surprise quickly with a snort.

"Please, that's it? The question you wanted answers to? It's simple really, I merely spared your lives on a whim. Nothing more and nothing less" Raven answered, sounding as convincing as she could get. But Beast boy was not convinced as he shook his head.

"That's not the reason why, and we both know it. I've been wondering what the reason could be ever since you spared me, but now I know what the answer is. Can you guess what it is?" he inquired of her. Raven did not answer him, only kept glaring hatefully at him while throwing him back to the ground. Ignoring the pain in his body, Beast boy stood back up while staring at Raven with a deep look of understanding in his eyes.

"The reason you spared us is simple; you could not bring yourself to kill your friends" he revealed to her. Raven immediately tensed up and her right eye began to glow even stronger.

"What nonsense is this?! I severed my ties with you the day you betrayed me, and I want nothing more than to bring you all death and suffering!" she hissed at him in anger, but Beast boy was not deterred.

"That's what you're trying to tell yourself, but the truth is that you still care about us. And we still care about you. No matter what, we'll always be friends and nothing will change that" he stated with conviction. Raven was trembling with rage by now, but for some reason she just stood there without unleashing her fury on him. Beast boy took that as his cue to press on.

"Raven, I truly am sorry for what happened to you and I wish I could just go back in time to fix all of this. But it can't be done, all we can do is move on to the future. I'm telling you now that I forgive you for what you've done, and now I ask you this; will you forgive me?" he asked of her, backing up each and every word with all his heart. Raven's own was nearly breaking from this, but still she clung to her hatred of the Titans and met his pleading look with one of bitterness.

"We aren't friends, Beast boy. Not anymore. We are enemies now so stop with your tearful charade!" she screeched at him while trying to quiet the inner guilt bubbling up. Beast boy looked upon her and his sorrow was pushed aside by a determined look. He strode right up to Raven to stand just a few feet from her.

"Then if we are enemies, finish it here and strike me down" he stated. Raven looked upon him with shock in her eyes before scowling at him.

"If you insist" she said as she brought out the crystal and shaped it into a rapier. She brought the blade against Beast boy's throat and made ready to slit it open, Beast boy never even flinched. Their gazes were locked with each other, and Raven suddenly found herself hesitating. She tried to make herself cut his throat wide open, but the mental command would just not leave her brain and enter the hand. Her hand began to shake and Raven found her resolve wavering. Beast boy just stood there, observing the conflict raging within her. This was ridiculous to Raven, she had wanted to do this for weeks now, and yet here she was; unable to carry out the deed she had promised to do. Mal'Bolough was of no help to her either, he was still locked in combat with Trigon. Raven tried with all her might to make herself kill Beast boy, but nothing happened. Finally, a single teardrop fell from her left eye as the truth finally dawned to her; she could not bring herself to kill Beast boy.

"I-I can't do it, I just can't" she admitted tearfully as she lowered her blade, willing it to return to its original form. Tears were now running freely from her left eye as she stared shamefully at the ground. Seeing her broken like this, Beast boy stepped forward to comfort her.

"It's alright Raven, it's alrig…" he began to say but was cut off by a warcry from Robin as he leaped out of nowhere at Raven. Beast boy instinctively leaped back, a desperate thought burning through his head; _no, no, no, no, no, not now of all times! _ Raven looked up in shock just in time to see Robin bring down a golden dagger on the hand clutching the crystal.

"ROBIN, WAIT!" Beast boy called out, but it was too late. The dagger sliced off three of Raven's fingers and when it cut through the crystal, the two opposing forces clashed with each other and disintegrated each other. Both Robin and Raven were knocked back by the shockwave, Raven landing just at the edge of the ever shrinking portal. While Robin was quick to get back up on his feet, Raven was not so fortunate. She was rolling around on the ground, howling in pain. Not so much from her physical wounds, those were just minor nuisances compared to the unbearable pain tearing though her mind. Mal'Bolough's last anguished scream still echoed in her mind. The reason for her pain was because he was bonded with her very soul. Now that he was dead it felt like someone had ripped her soul apart, and the pain it caused on her mind was impossible to describe. Mal'Bolough's power was also doing a number on her. It had for weeks been calmly floating inside Raven's body, but with Mal'Bolough gone now there was nothing left to control and regulate the flow, and it was now raging through her body like a hurricane.

What was worse, fragments from the destroyed crystal had buried themselves in her palm, and they were starting to slowly crystalize her hand. Already her palm had turned to crystal and it just continued to expand. Both Beast boy and Robin stared in horror at what happened to Raven. She ever so slowly got back up on her feet to stare in absolute panic at her crystalizing hand. Her mouth hung open as she clutched her arm that was growing ever number. The pain had still not lessened in her mind and it felt like her mind was slowly being splintered, already she could hear her emotions screaming in pain or fear inside her mind.

"Raven, I…" Beast boy tried to say something, but Raven suddenly whipped around to stare with eyes overflowing with hatred and betrayal.

"You bastards! You had this planned all along, didn't you?! Lure me to lower my guard in order to strike me in the back again!" she roared at them. She felt so stupid, they had managed to trick her that easily; and now it was all over for her. Beast boy looked like he wanted to say something else, but Robin stepped in front of him with his gaze leveled at Raven.

"It's over Raven, and there's no way for you to escape. Surrender now" he stated coldly while narrowing his eyes at her. Raven glared back at him with hate filled eyes, but she knew that this was a battle she had lost. Her sanity was slowly seeping away due to Mal'Bolough's destruction and half her right arm was now crystalized. But there was one last thing she could do. She slowly began to chuckle while looking at the ground, building up strength until she threw her head back and let out a psychotic laugh that unnerved both Robin and Beast boy. She finally calmed down enough to return her gaze to Robin, all traces of humor gone.

"I seem to remember telling you this before, but I'll never surrender to the likes of you. If it means my death, then so be it" she declared and without warning, she turned around and threw herself into the portal. Both boys stared wide eyed at what she just did as they raced to the edge to peer into the portal. The last sight they had of Raven was her body tumbling down into the churning depths of whatever pit she had summoned her daemons from. Beast boy felt his strength leave him as collapsed to his knees, tears falling from his eyes.

"Raven…" he whispered softly, as if saying her name would make her come back. Robin laid a comforting hand on his friend's shoulder, looking into the portal as it grew ever weaker. In a few moments it would cease to exist.

"Let's go home" he just said.


	24. Epilogue

Titans Tower

One week later

Beast boy was standing just at the door leading into a room no one had been into for a week, there were just too many memories in it. He still had trouble accepting that she was gone and he was not the only one. The last week had been hectic to say the least as the Titans, along with Doctor Fate and all the honorary Titans they had been able to call in had cleared out all the remaining daemons. When the sweep up was done, it was discovered to everyone's great anger that Iron Mask had somehow slipped past them. The whole city was searched, from top to bottom, but no trace of him was found; he was long gone. Of course, many had asked where Raven was since no one had seen her. The Titans along with Doctor Fate and Batman, who of course had already sniffed out the truth, had held a meeting to determine what they should tell about Raven. Many people were still a little sore from when Superman was turned against Earth, and the news that another hero had gone rogue and tried to destroy an entire city would only fan the flames of discontent among anti-hero groups.

So it was decided that the truth about Raven would be buried and forgotten. Two days after her death, a cover story was presented to the media and fellow heroes. It pointed out Iron Mask as the perpetrator behind it all. Raven of course was given a hero's role in this story, it was explained that she had fought her way past Iron Mask and managed to close the portal to save everyone else, but the energy from the portal had been too strong and she had been dragged into it before it closed. She had been given a funeral worthy of an honored hero just three days ago. Many heroes had attended to bid farewell to a fellow comrade who they thought fell in the line of work, those that knew Raven even swearing on her gravestone that they would find Iron Mask and make him pay. As far as Beast boy knew, every hero was on the look-out for that madman, but he seemed to have been swallowed up by the earth. With the dust finally settled, only seven people knew the truth of what really happened on that fateful night. One of them being a hunted fugitive no one would ever believe and the others would take the secret to the grave.

Beast boy finally worked up the courage to open the door in front of him, marked with the word "Raven". Stepping inside, he found that nothing had changed in here. Everything was still where they were supposed to be and the usual smells that existed in her room were still lingering; the strange mix of burned candles, old books and herbal tea. If Beast boy did not know any better, he would fear that Raven would walk in any second now and threaten him with some painful treatment if he did not leave her room. Beast boy almost laughed at the idea, but it came out more like a sob.

"Beast boy?" a sweet and worried voice said from behind. He slowly turned around to see Starfire standing at the threshold. She looked at him with sad eyes, she too feeling sorrow for their lost friend.

"Robin is preparing dinner for us and sent me to find you" she explained. Something boiled over in Beast boy when she mentioned Robin. It was his fault, if he had not attacked her like he did, none of this would have happened. Raven would have been safely back with them and Mal'Bolough would have been gone. Robin has expressed that he was sorry it ended like this, but he had done what he had to do. Though to Beast boy, he had not sounded as sorry as he claimed to be. Beast boy wondered if he would ever be able to forgive him for what he did, but right now he was hungry and he would not say no to food. So with a small nod, he turned around and walked out of Raven's room. Before he closed the door, he cast one last sorrowful look inside.

"Goodbye Raven" he said as the door closed up.

…..

Small village in northern Finland

One year later, Christmas

A snowstorm raged through the small village, driving many to seek shelters indoors. Though many of the men had instead of going home and spend time with their family searched their way to the local pub, where they were all currently singing and drinking to their hearts contents. A Christmas tree had been erected inside and there were even a few drunkards dancing around it. Everywhere spirits were high and joyous, save for in one corner where a hooded figure sat by himself. He had been there all day long, ordering drink after drink. Some of the customers were a little unnerved by this silent figure, but the owner did not care that much. He constantly bought drinks and he was causing no ruckus with anyone, that meant he was more than welcome to stay. A few of the other customers had tried to befriend him, but he had rudely dismissed them. Many assumed that he was either a loner or he was mourning something, so they left him alone, though some had tried to peek under that hood of his. None of them had managed to see anything. That was probably a good thing, since all that was under the hood was an iron mask.

Letting his gaze quickly wander over the crowd gathered in the pub, Iron Mask could not help but temporarily feel envious of these humans. They had no worries in life and they had loved ones in their lives. And what had Iron Mask? Only his immortality. It was during moments like these that he debated if he should just break the centuries old spell and simply pass on to whatever hell that was undoubtedly reserved for him. But those fleeting moments always passed before he knew it and he was back to his usual self. But even with his temporary surge of humanity gone, he still felt empty inside. He had felt it ever since he escaped Jump City. He had tried drowning those feelings in alcohol, even though he knew it would never work. This was not technically his body, it was just a flesh puppet that he controlled and it would never feel anything of any sort. As he downed another glass of whiskey, he wondered what this hollow feeling could be. He knew it was connected to Raven in some way since it began after her demise, but he could not figure out what it was. This had never happened to Iron Mask, he had worked for countless bosses and he had never cared about what happened to them. All he had done when they died was to collect his money and moved on to the next employer. With Raven it was different, he had not accepted a single job after his escape, had not worked for anyone else. He had just drifted across the world, staying away from any heroes that popped up everywhere.

He gave a humorless laugh as he thought of the heroes. They had been on him like bloodhounds for nearly a year now. Though they were still on the look-out for him, it seemed that most of the heat had passed and only the most stubborn were still actively searching for him. It did not matter to him whether they found him or not, it would make no difference. That hollow feeling would still remain and he would still have no idea what it was. A thought suddenly came to him, he had heard people talk about the concept of "love", of how two people being meant for each other and finding happiness together. Could that be what he was feeling? Could he be in love with Raven? The idea was completely foreign to him, it made no sense to his twisted mind. He had never experienced joy other when inflicting pain and suffering on others, so how could he possibly fall in love? Truthfully, Iron Mask had no idea. Maybe he was in love, maybe he was not. In the end, it did not matter, she was still gone. Deciding to put his brooding thoughts to rest for the evening, he poured up another glass for himself and raised it in salute to the empty spot in front of him.

"To you, _ma patronne_" he said before gulping down that glass too. Suddenly the door into the pub was kicked open, allowing the cold winds to flow inside. All songs stopped abruptly and the whole pub fell silent as they gazed at the figure standing at the doorway. He was dressed in black robes hiding all his features and a black hood. But what was worse was the dark and chilling aura that radiated from this creature. It wormed its way into all the patrons' minds, driving them to new heights of fear. On some instinctual level, each and every one of them knew that what they were looking at was not human. But none of them even dared to move a muscle, in fear of drawing this malevolent creature's attention. Ever so slowly, it began to advance into the pub with slow and calm steps. Every time it walked past a patron, that one would immediately take his chance and bolt as fast as possible out of the pub. Those that were too far away to slink past the creature instead rushed out the backdoor. Even the bartender lost his nerves, even with a shotgun in hand, and abandoned the pub. In the end there were only two people left in the pub; Iron Mask and the mysterious creature.

The creature walked up to Iron Mask's table, staring down on the undead madman. Iron Mask did not even acknowledge its presence. For several minutes, the creature did nothing but stand there and watch Iron Mask, who in turn did not even look at it. Finally, it glided into the seat opposite of Iron Mask, observing him carefully. Iron Mask had by now had enough of whatever this thing was and pulled back his hood and was about to give this creature a piece of his mind. But his words froze in his throat when he finally looked upon the creature. Understanding washed over Iron Mask and suddenly his future did not feel so bleak anymore. Without warning, he threw his head back and laughed in sadistic joy. And while he laughed the creature's right eye was temporarily exposed. It was all black save for a red glowing symbol etched into it; an eight pointed star with a snake eye in its center.


End file.
